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' 


1.0 


I.I 


L25  ■  1.4 


1.8 


1.6 


72 


^ 


*»      A- 


/ 


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Photograpliic 

Sdences 

Corporation 


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CIHM/ICMH 

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Collection  de 
microfiches. 


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Institut  Canadian  de  microraproductions  historiques 


1980 


i 


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1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

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10X  14X  18X  22X 


12X 


16X 


y 


20X 


26X 


SOX 


24X 


28X 


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TO    KLONDIKE    AND    BACK 


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TO  KLONDIKE  AND  BACK 


A  JOURNEY  DOWN  THE  YUKON 

FROM  ITS  SOUBOE  TO  ITS  MOUTH 


By 


J.  H.  E.  SECRETAN,  C.E. 

OF  OTTAWA 


AMD 

^bttniji-iont  lUnstraiion. 


Edition  Imported  by 


Z''n,VJ\\''A''     '"'"'    COMPANY 
KING     "tREET     '•      ■     ^'^     '"""^ 


TORONTO 


1413.-7 


')7 


DEDICATED 
TO  ALL  THOSE  WHOM  I  LEFT  BEHIND 
J.  H.  E.  S. 


im 


IT^TRODUCTION 


I  HAVE    been  advised  by  several  friends 
-and  some   enemies-to    write   a   booic 
describing  the  perils  and  pleasures  which 
may  be  encountered  in  a  voyage  to  the 
now  celebrated  Klondyke. 

I  have  agreed  to  comply  with  the  sug- 
irestion,  purely  from  philanthropic  motives 
-besides  which  I  am  given  to  understand 
there  is  money  in  it. 

Should  my  feeble  efforts  be  the  means 
of  preventing  further  immigration  into 
that  inhospitable  region,  and  thus  deter 
many  an  impecunious  fellow-creature  from 
either  making  a  sudden  fortune,  or  being 
miserably  disappointed  after  much  hard" 
ship  and  suffering,  I  shall  not  have 
laboured  in  vain. 


n 


CONTENTS 


OHAPTKB 

I.    Temptation 
n.    Preparation 
TIL    Navigation 
IV.    Damnation 
V.    Irrigation 
VL    Botheration 
VII.    Transportation 
VIII.    Elevation 

IX.  Tribulation 

X.  Desolation 
XI.    Stagnatict- 

XII.    Exhilaration 

XIII.  Inundation 

XIV.  Emancipation 

XV.  Continuation 

XVL     HiSSITATION 

XVII.    Isolation 
XVIII.    Occupation 


PAOK 

1 

7 

11 

16 

20 

2b 

28 

37 

46 

61 

67 

63 

68 

74 

78 

82 

92 
101 


I 

I 


%: 

COA'TENTS 

HAOK 

XIX. 

Palpitation 

106 

XX. 

Dissipation 

109 

XXI. 

Privation 

114 

XXII. 

Emigration 

129 

XXIII. 

Embarkation 

134 

XXIV. 

Indignation 

187 

XXV. 

Jubilation 

148 

XXVI. 

Communication    . 

153 

XXVII. 

Civilization 

167 

APPENDIX 

171 

Hints  to  Prospectors 

17<5 

A  Table  of  Distances 

216 

MiNiNO  Reculations 

221 

Dredqino  for  Minerals 

252 

Timber  Regulations 

269 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Portrait  of  Author 

FoRTV  Mile  Post 

Freighter  starting  from  Circle  City 

Mining  Claim,  Eldorado  Creek 

Going  uver  the  Chilcoot  Pass 

Chilcoot  Pass  Two-and-half  Miles  from  Summit 

Lake  Lindermann  first  open  Water 

ruKON  River  ;  Ice  breaking  up  in  the  Spring 

Miles  Canon  ;  Lewes  Hiver 

Miles  Canon,  looking  down  Stream 

Miles  Canon,  Scow  running  down 

^  'POKING  DOWN  stream  TOWARDS  THE  DREAD  '  WhITE 

Horse  ' 
The  dread  '  White  Horse  ' 
Sleighing  Boats  on  Lake  La  Barge 

Miners  ON  the  WAT  DOWN  in  the  Spring    '. 
Dawson  City 


PAQE 

Frontispiece 
3 


4 
5 
43 
^5 
62 
64 
80 
82 
87 

89 

91 

96 
107 
109 


II 


r     :li 


Xll 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAQB 

Dawson  City  from  opposite  bank  of  the  Yukon  .      118 

Author's  Camp  below  Dawson  Citt          .  .114 

Interior  of  Tent  ;  Author  writing  Despatches  .      116 

Author's  Cabin,  <  The  Bear's  Den  '  .119 

Rich  Digginos  on  Bonanza  Ckeek  .  Iii2 

Night  on  the  Yukon  ;  End  of  the  Run     .  134 

Steamer  '  John  J.  Healt,*  Yukon  River  .  144 

Dog  Team,  Yukon  RiTER    .          .          .  .193 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


TEMPTATION 

On  a  cold,  cheerless  day  in  the  early  spring 
of  1897,  overcome  by  the  persuasive  elo- 
quence  of  a  respectable,  though  compara- 
tively wealthy,  syndicate,  I   decided    to 
take  charge  of  a  small  expedition  bound 
for    Klondyke.      The    main    object    was 
plunder.     At  this  time  it  was  not  gener- 
ally  known  that  many  rich  diggings  had 
been  discovered  in  the   vicinity  of  the 
Klondyke  River,  and  upon  the  principle 

B 


w  ,  ^ 


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%  TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 

of*  first  come,  first  served/  a  soft  snap  was 
anticipated.  In  the  event  of  a  discovery 
being  made,  five  men  could  control  two 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  of  creek 
bottom,  and  the  result  of  the  possible 
output,  based  upon  what  was  already 
known  to  a  select  few,  would  soar 
serenely  upwards  into  many  millions. 

In  August,  1896,  an  inoffensive  and 
unprogressive  '  squaw-man,'  rejoicing  in 
the  name  of  *  Stick  George,*  while  build- 
ing a  fire  on  the  banks  of  what  is  now 
Bonanza  Creek,  wherewith  to  cook  his 
frugal  supper,  had  accidentally  thawed 
out  the  hitherto  perpetually  frozen  gravel, 
and  carelessly  panned  out  seven  hundred 
dollars  in  coarse  gold.  This  amount  provid- 
ed the  artless  discoverer  with  a  comfortable 
and  protracted  jag,  which  subsequently 
occupied  much  of  his  otherwise  valuable 
time.     During  a  lucid  interval,  this  illus- 


nap  was 
iscovery 
rol  two 
creek 
possible 
already 
I     soar 

IS. 

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TEMPTATION  8 

trious  individual,  who,  after  the  discovery, 
had  adjourned  to  the  more  seductive 
attractions  of  Forty  Mile  Creek,  where  the 
old-time  miner  was  pursuing  his  studies 
with  varying  success,  electrified  the  little 
population  one  night  by  exhibiting  the 
golden  beauties  '  big  as  beans.'  Then 
followed  the  stampede. 

From  the  little  settlement  of  Forty  Mile, 
all  conditions  of  men  loaded  up  their  boats, 
and  tumbled  over  each  other  in  their  haste 
to  pole  up  the  ever-rushing  Yukon,  fifty- 
two  miles,  to  the  promised  land.  It  is  re- 
lated by  the  historians  that  men  who  had 
been  harmlessly  and  painfully  drunk  for 
many  moons  were  thrown  into  the  bottom 
of  the  boats  for  ballast,  later  on  to  be  used 
as  stakeholders  for  claims  destined  to  con- 
tain a  million  dollars  worth  of  the  precious 
metal ;  and  everything  on  two  legs  that 
could  scrape   together  a   sufficient  grub 

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4  TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 

stake  pointed  the  prow  of  its  barque  to- 
wards the  new  Eldorado. 

Even  after  the  dread  Arctic  winter  set 
in,  with  its  long  dreary  darkness,  and  the 
thermometer  had  casually  meandered  away 
down  amongst  the  *  Sixties,'  the  news 
spread  by  some  mysterious  agency,  and 
Circle  City,  hitherto  a  flourishing  mining 
centre  and  distributing  point,  was  deserted. 
A  handful  of  women  and  children  only 
were  left  to  tell  the  tale  of  the  '  has  beens.' 
The  men  made  their  way  up  over  the 
frozen  surface  of  the  mighty  Yukon,  many 
of  them  badly  equipped  and  poorly  pro- 
visioned, facing  all  the  horrors  of 
exposure  in  such  a  climate,  helping  each 
other  onward  towards  the  golden  Klon- 
dyke,  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
distant. 

Bonanza  Creek  was  rapidly  staked  from 
its  source  to  its  mouth ;    and  the  disap- 


rque  to- 

nter  set 
and  the 
red  away 
le    news 
loy,  and 
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pointed  ones,  who  arrived  too  late,  had  to 
content  themselves  with  chiims  on  tribut- 
ary streams,  hoping  that  they  too  might 
turn  out  rich.  Many  a  man  passed  by  the 
mouth  of  Eldorado  Creek  with  a  sneer 
upon  his  face  and  contempt  in  his  heart. 
Others,  sooner  than  get  nothing,  took  up 
a  claim  at  haphazard  on  Eldorado,  and  the 
result  has  shown  that  all  indications  fail 
in  this  extraordinary  country — for  little 
'  Eldorado,'  only  seven  miles  long,  a  mere 
pup  of  the  parent  stream,  has  turned  out 
the  richer  of  the  two. 

This  is  briefly  the  history  of  the  discov- 
ery of  the  now  world-famed  Klondyke,  the 
marvellous  wealth  of  which  will  some  day, 
no  doubt,  astonish  the  universe  and  steal 
the  reputation  of  all  other  placer  mines, 
making  them  seem  poor  indeed. 

Thus  it  was  that  I  started  upon  my  long 
weary  journey,  across  the  Continent,  then 


^^ 


it 


■  \l 


M,| 


«  TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 

up  north  from  Victoria  to  Juneau,  thence 
over  the  dreaded  Chilcoot  Pass,  and  after 
that  through  the  wonderful  chain  of  lakes 
forming  the  head  waters  of  the  mighty 
Yukon,  ever  rushing,  contrary  to  all 
recognized  precedent,  straight  north  to  the 
polar  seas,  there  to  belch  forth  mud  and 
drift  wood  through  a  dozen  mouths  or 
more,  covering  one  hundred  miles,  into 
the  Arctic  Ocean. 


ir 


PREPARATION 


On  the  15th  of  April,  at  noou,  the  steamer 
Topeka  sailed  from  Victoria,  British  Col- 
umbia, for  Juneau,  Alaska,  with  between 
two  and  three  hundred  passengers. 

She  was  the  first  vessel  engaged  in  the 
rush  to  the  Yukon  gold  fields.  Twenty- 
five  mounted  police  and  my  little  crew 
about  represented  the  Canadiaii  contingent. 
There  was  hardly  standing  room  on  the 
decks,  and  the  berths  simply  would  not  go 
round.     The  ship  was  loaded  down  to  her 


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8  rO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 

guards       She    carried     a     deck-load     of 
lumber  and  a  full  cargo  of  supplies.     On 
the  upper  deck  many  Yukon  miners'  sleds 
could  be  seen,  and  the  melancholy  howls 
of  numerous  half-breed  Indian  curs,  down 
below,  made   up   the   complement   of  as 
mixed  and  motley  a  cargo  as  ever  was  seen. 
The  rough-and-ready  old  miner,  with  gum 
boots   and    a    steerage   passage,  strolled 
about  hob-nobbing  with  some  exiled  scion 
of  a  noble  family — blue  overalls  and  black 
broad-cloth  bunked  down  together.     The 
lines  were  cast  off,  and  the  Topeka  slipped 
away  from  the  sunlight   and   warmth  of 
Vancouver  Island  to  wend  her  way  through 
the    picturesque     archipelago     stretching 
northward  towards  the  shores  of  Alaska. 

I  did  not  go  in  this  ship,  but  waited  till 
the  25th  for  the  steamer  Mexico*  quite  con- 

*  Since  lost.    She  struck  a  rock  and  foundered  in  five 
hundred  feet  of  water.    No  lives  lost. 


9 


PREPARATION 

tent  to  linger  a  while  and  get  a  last 
whiff  of  the  balmy  spring  breezes  which 
float  over  this  lovely  island  laden  with 
the  scent  of  jasmine,  honeysuckle,  and 
roses,  before  tackling  the  cold,  uncharit- 
able blasts  of  that  far  northern  country. 

I  bought  two  Canadian  Peterborough 
canoes  in  Victoria,  also   two  gallons   of 
Hudson's    Bay    rum-both    very    useful 
when  mixed  with  water.     And   so,  with 
Httle  in  the  way  of  personal   baggage, 
outside  of  a  couple  of  pairs  of  blankets 
and  two  flannel  shirts,  I  boarded  the  good 
ship  Mexico  on  a  Sunday  morning.   °The 
church  bells  tinkled  out  their  invitation 
to  the  righteous,  the  blue  waters  of  the 
Pacific  sparkled   in  the  lovely  sunlight, 
while  the  distant  snow-capped  mountlins' 
looked  approvingly  down  upon  a  scene  so 
calm  and  peaceful  that  nothing  but  the 
spirit  of  adventure    strong  within    the 


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10 


70  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


human  system  could  induce  a  man  to 
calmly  forsake  it  all  and  face  the  horrors 
of  the  north. 


i 

'•    ! 

1 

11 


III 


NAVIGATION 


When  all  goes  well,  nothing  ever  happens 
on  a  ship.     In  fine  weather  the  time  slips 
pleasantly  by,  and  eating,  smoking,  and 
sleeping  are   the   only   available  amuse- 
ments.    In   these  waters,  the   captain- 
usually  of  so   much  importance-has    a 
sinecure.    Two    pilots    take    watch    and 
watch  and   navigate   the   ship   from   one 
port  to  another,  and  it  is  only  when  she  is 
entering  or  leaving  a  port  that  the  captain 
is  in  evidence.     It  is  then  he  puts  on  his 


r^ 


i ;  ■ 


w^mm 


S;<; 


12 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


brass-bound  cap,  and  with  a  brief,  *  I'll 
take  her,  sir,'  telegraphs  a  few  remarks 
to  the  engine-room,  and  lays  his  vessel 
alongside  the  wharf.  The  same  thing 
occurs  when  leaving  port — he  backs  her 
out,  puts  the  helm  hard  over,  swings  her 
head  round,  while  the  pilot  stands  meekly 
beside  him  on  the  bridge,  looking  as  un- 
important as  the  father  of  brand-new 
twins  in  the  presence  of  the  monthly 
nurse.  The  captain  says  suddenly,  '  You 
have  her,  sir,'  and  once  again  the  pilot  is 
monarch  of  all  he  survej^s,  and  with  a 
rumbling  grunt,  which  sounds  something 
like  '  Noatheasbeasearfease,'  he  resumes 
his  watch,  while  the  captain  goes  below 
to  scowl  at  the  male  passengers,  and  make 
himself  agreeable  to  those  of  the  female 
persuasion. 

Within   twenty-four    hours   of  leaving 
the    balmy    air    and    soft    sunshine    of 


ill 


NAVIGATION  |y 

sleepy  old  Victoria,  the  Mexico,  loaded 
down  to  the  guards,  was  pointing  her 
nose  up  against  a  stiff  nor'-wester  with 
a    rattling  accompaniment   of    hail    and 

snow. 

The  steerage  passengers  were  pictur- 
esque and  very  uncomfortable.  One  ven- 
erable gold-seeker  told  me  he  had  a  brindle 
cow  for  a  pillow. 

We  had  one  celebrated  cabin-passenger. 
It   was   a    lady  of  marvellous    develop- 
ment   and   wonderful    experience.     One 
cold   wintry   night,   on    the   inhospitable 
shores  of  Cook's  Inlet,  this  brave  woman 
succeeded     in     rescuing,    single-handed, 
either  three  or  four,  I  forget  which,  ship- 
wrecked mariners.     She  stripped  off  all 
superfluous  clothing  and  plunged  into  the 
angry  surf.     The  men  were   all    uncon- 
scious,  and  Hke  a  big  Newfoundland  dog 
she  dragged  them  ashore  one  at  a  time. 


14 


TO  KLONDYKB  AND  BACK 


m 


i 


■  ^; 


For  this  brave  act  she  received  several 
medals  from  different  humane  societies, 
and  one  from  the  President  of  the  United 
States. 

Withal,  she  was  modest  and  unassum- 
ing, but  distinctly  ponderous.  On  one 
occasion,  I  came  on  deck,  and  asked 
her  if  she  had  seen  a  certain  glacier,  ice- 
berg, or  some  little  trifle  of  that  kind  which 
we  had  run  past  that  afternoon.  She  re- 
plied with  a  sigh,  and  a  pitiful  disregard 
for  Lindley  Murray, 

*  No,  cap,  I  di'n't.  /  would  so  much  like 
to  have  saw  ii.^ 

She  was  a  manly  woman.  I  remember 
saying  good-bye  to  her  or.  board  a  small 
steamer  bound  for  Cook'.s  Inlet.  The  cap- 
tain and  I  approached  her  most  respect- 
fully, and,  as  she  grasped  our  hands  firmly 
with  that  muscular  life-saving  apparatus 


(i 

n 

i! 


NAVIGATION  j^ 

of  hers,  the  tears  rolled  down  our  cheeks, 
while  she  thanked  us  both  for  our  great 
*  cordiality.' 


.i^'jMMMWMHMdSuk 


I 
1     f 


V 


16 


.  i 


;  '-i  i 


IV 


DAMNATION 


We  arrived  at  Juneau  without  incident  on 
the  28th  April,  at  ten  p.m.  That  is  what 
they  call  an  all-night  town,  because  every- 
body stays  up  all  night  and  sleeps  all  day. 
About  one  a.m.,  in  company  with  three  ship 
captains,  I  visited  the  Juneau  Opera  House, 
situated  in  the  rear  of  a  huge  bar-room, 
where  all  kinds  of  drinks  and  games  of 
chance  were  dispensed  freely.  Faro, 
roulette,  stud-poker,  and  craps  were  all 
in  full  swing  when  we  arrived.     I  looked 


f 

1 

I 

DAMNATION 


17 


dent  on 
is  what 
every- 
11  day. 
ee  ship 
House, 
|r-room, 
imes  of 
Faro, 
ere  all 
looked 


% 


in  vain  for  a  box-office  to  buy  a  ticket, 
but  soon  discovered  that  no  formality  of 
that  sort  was  insisted  upon:  you  simply 
walked  in  and  selected  a  box,  of  which 
there  were  plenty,  and  invested  your 
surplus  wealth  in  the  numerous  awful 
decoctions  to  be  found  at  the  bar.  There 
were  many  ladies  there,  and  with  that 
wild  western  familiarity,  so  very  charming, 
they  strolled  about  in  and  out  of  the 
boxes,  and  chatted  upon  the  political 
questions  of  the  day,  welcoming  the 
stranger  and  putting  the  pilgrim  at  ease 
almost  immediately. 

The  play  was  sjonstructed  to  blend  har- 
moniously with  the  surroundings.  I  did 
not  at  first  quite  follow  the  harrowing  de- 
tails of  the  plot,  but  eventually  concluded 
the  design  was  intended  to  illustrate  at 
all  costs  that  virtuous  innocence  was  un- 
safe when  inadvertently  committed  to  the 

c 


^^It  '■ 


I  ■? 


I 


18 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


II 


■iH  ; 


11. 


i 


f  II! 
Mi 


t    ^i 


f  ii 


*f(  i 


'  si 


care  of  a  ruined  gambler  for  any  length 
of  time.  A  huge  muscular  giant,  re- 
presenting a  miner,  soon  put  all  our 
doubts  and  fears  to  rest — also  the  ruined 
gambler — with  the  aid  of  a  terrible -look- 
ing horse  pistol.  The  play  lasted  till  well 
on  to  the  wee  sma*  hours,  when  the 
orchestra  chairs  were  removed  and  danc- 
ing commenced,  and  was  no  doubt  kept 
up  with  spirit  by  the  ladies  and  gentlemen 
till  breakfast-time. 

But  what  a  place  of  business,  for  all 
this:  the  beau  ideal  of  an  outfitting 
point,  where  everything  requisite,  from  a 
needle  to  an  anchor,  can  be  bought.  The 
miners'  many  wants  are  rapidly  supplied 
in  exchange  lor  any  sort  of  cash  or  con- 
vertible paper.  The  indispensable  Yukon 
sleigh,  suitable  for  either  man  or  dog, 
flourishes  in  great  profusion.  The  Yukon 
stove,  which  gets   red-hot  with  so   little 


m 


<    n  M 


ill! 


DAMNATION  jg 

provocation,  and  bakes  your  bread,  fries 
your  bacon,  and  dries  your  socks  all  at 
the  same  time,  is  also  in  great  demand 

Then  we  must  have  Mackinaw  suits  of 
many  startling  colours,  good  heavy  blank- 
ets, the  miner's  kit  of  pick,  shovel,  and 
gold-pan,  a  full  assortment  of  boat-build- 
ing implements,  which,  with  a  generous 
supply  of  provisions,  containing  all   the 
luxuries  that  we  may  luckily  be  able  to 
afford,  starts  us  on  our  way,  if  not  re- 
joicing, at  least  secure  from  the  perils  of 
starvation  for  many  months  to  come. 


c  2 


Y^^f^fTsmm'^m 


I  ill  '^i!  I 


n       I 


I 


n^  I 


{I.M 


f 
I 

I 


I    H  ■ 


i 


20 


IRRIGATION 

The  temperance  people  will  be  glad  to 
hear  ihat  Alaska  is  a  very  strict  prohibi- 
tion territory ;  and  yet  the  United  States 
Government  finds  it  necessary  to  employ 
numerous  customs  officials  to  collect  duty 
on  contraband  whisky. 

Licences  are  issued  authorising  the 
saloon-keepers  to  retail  spirituous  liquors, 
and  if  they  are  caught  doing  so  they  are 
heavily  fined,  at  the  same  time  paying  a 
good  big  fee  for  their  licence. 


I  i 


1 

I 

■n 


•lad  to 

■^^a 

roniDi- 
States 

*  :>^uB 

jmploy 

-!'^a 

;t  duty 

g    the 

quors, 

ey  are 

y'mg  a 

it.  -  -  ■  -■.■,- 

IRRIGATION 


n 


I  heard  of  only  one  instance  of  confisca- 
tion: the  offender,  an  over-zealous  cus- 
tom-house officer,  was  executed  on  the 
spot  by  the  outraged  whisky  seller.  Poor 
man!  if  he  had  only  been  content  with 
inflicting  a  heavy  fine  upon  the  saloon- 
keeper, which  he  might  easily  have  appro- 
priated, he  would  have  been  living  yet. 
But  alas !  this  misguided  official  did  his 
duty  and  paid  the  inevitable  penalty. 

It  is  considered  a  heinous  crime  to 
waste  whisky  in  that  country,  and  the 
sin  is  seldom  overlooked  or  forgotten. 
Good  business-like  smugglers  do  very 
well  up  there. 

When  the  miners  come  to  town,  they 
generally  spare  no  expense  to  have  a  good 
time.  I  knew  one  good-natured  giant, 
who,  after  indescribable  toil,  hardship, 
and  misery  for  many  weary  moons,  by 
strict  attention  to  business  bad  accumu- 


I 


i^fm 


wi<m«i  I 


t    ! 


n 


i!i 


'     (?l 


111! 


I'^jl 


il 


1!  I 


22  30  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 

lated  about  ez^/A^y  thousand  dollars.     The 
very  best  bad  champagne  was  then  only 
ten   dollars  a  bottle,  and  yet  it  took  this 
gentleman  nearly  twelve  months  to  qualify 
for  insolvency.     He   then  went  to  work 
in  the  woods  as  an  axeman,  and  a  large 
Douglas   fir-tree   settled  his  future  pros- 
pects by  falling  on  him  and  breaking  his 
back.    They  are  a  careless  lot,  and  would 
be  quite  incompetent  to  direct  the  affairs 
of  large   monetary  institutions,   like   the 
Bank  of  England,  for  instance.     Let  one 
of  these  m.n  take  hold  of  a  concern  like 
that  for  a  few  nights,  when  he  was  feeling 
pretty  robust :  the  result  might  be  quite 
disastrous  in  European  financol   circles. 
You  see,  he  would  not  use  the  money  to 
advantage  when  he  had  it. 

They  tell  a  story  at  Juneau  of  the  dis- 
coverer after  whom  the  town  was  chris- 
tened.    When  he  had  made  his  pile,  he 


IRRIGATION 


28 


came  down  from  the  mines,  and,  seeking 
out  his  favourite  resting-place,  sat  down 
and  actually  wept  bitter  tears  for  fear  that 
he  would  not  *  live  long  enough  to  blow 
it  all  in.'  It  is  a  sad  sight  always  to  see 
a  strong  man  weep ;  I  have  often  read 
that  in  novels.  However,  old  man  Juneau 
had  a  better  constitution  than  he  antici- 
pated, and  is  now  working  at  the  mines 
for  two  dollars  a  day  and  '  found.' 

These  facts  only  refer  to  the  *  old  timer.' 
There  are  many  amateurs  in  the  diggings 
nowadays,  who  are  more  careful,  and  save 
their  dust  for  nobler  objects  than  dancing 
girls,  fire-water,  and  Faro  banks.  There 
are  some,  particularly  amongst  the  Scan- 
dinavians, who  seldom  spend  a  cent.  There 
are  some  who  hoard  their  hard-earned 
wealth  and  are  satisfied  with  a  moderate- 
sized  pile ;  then  they  go  home,  marry  their 
sweethearts,  settle  down,  and  sell  beer  for 


l^i;SS8SSS9 


fmm 


H 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


1 

i      hi 

■'(   ■     ^ 

*f 

ii 

ii  ^1 

'  ;    ;] 

the  rest  of  their  lives.  I  knew  one  little 
German  who  suffered  untold  miseries  in 
the  frozen  north  for  years.  He  had  gone 
through  successive  stages  of  scurvy  until 
he  had  almost  lost  heart,  together  with  all 
his  front  teeth.  He  also  had  asthma,  so 
that  he  could  hardly  carry  his  fifty  pounds 
of  dust,  packed  up  in  a  raisin  box,  without 
resting  every  few  steps.  And  yet  this 
hundred  thousand  dollar  invalid  had 
visions  of  happiness,  because  one  day  he 
confided  in  me  (I  seem  to  invite  these 
confidences  from  rich  people)  that  when  he 
got '  owat '  he  would  buy  him  a  bunch  of 
grapes  for  five  cents,  in  New  York,  every 
day.  I  did  not  hear  whether  he  persevered 
in  this  extravagance. 


I  J 


Aii 


lil 


«  ' 


H 


VI 


BOTHERATION 

It  is  not  far  to  Dyea  from  Juneau— only 
one  hundred  miles  by  sea ;  but  the  avail- 
able transportation  facilities,  although 
numerous,  were  decidedly  uncomfortable 
and  alarming. 

My  merry  men  had  gone  up  with  the 
now  North-West  dismounted  policemen 
in  a  wonderful  construction  called  the 
Gasoline.  This  craft  seemed  to  be  a  direct 
descendant  of  Noah's  Ark,  and  equally 
populous.  It  had  a  small  gasoline  engine 
concealed  about  its  person  somewhere,  and 
a  record  of  four  miles  an  hour. 


J^^r^^^^ 


(i 


t-  ■  it 


11   Ml 


i 


i!'; 


lis     ili 

:  fi  m 

"  -1  :i 


♦    1!    • 


:m 


26 


ro  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


Imagine,  if  you  can,  thirty-five  robust 
adults, with  all  their  camping  paraphernalia, 
equipment,  and  provisions,  embarked  on 
board  this  little  ship,  only  to  discover  that 
the  mate  was  in  liquor  and  the  captain  in 
gaol.  This  caused  a  certain  amount  of 
delay  ;  first,  the  boat  had  to  be  baled  out, 
then  the  captain — and  I  have  no  doubt 
the  mate  would  have  felt  better  for  a 
similar  attention. 

They  told  me  the  captain,  a  piratical- 
looking  ruffian,  came  on  board  late  in  the 
evening,  consumed  with  alternate  threats 
of  vengeance  and  maudlin  repentance.  He 
was  easily  distinguishable  from  the  other 
officers  on  account  of  a  black  eye. 

Dyea  lies  at  the  head  of  the  Lynn  Canal, 
and  at  this  time  consisted  of  Healy  and 
Wilson's  trading  post  and  the  *  Klondyke 
Saloon.'  The  little  Gasoline,  with  itb 
cargo  of  humanity,  at  ten  dollars  per  hu- 


'ii 


m^i' 


BOTHERATION 


27 


man,  was  cut  loose  and  fretted  along  with 
a  good  deal  of  clicketty-clack,  making  for 
the  point  of  Douglas  Island,  several  miles 
from  Juneau.  The  miserable  passengers 
distributed  themselves  96  best  they  could 
amidst  the  baggage,  as  there  was  only  room 
for  a  paltry  half-dozen  in  the  wretched 
little  dimly-lighted  cabin.  The  little  gaso- 
line engine  sjenerously  diffused  a  powerful 
bouquet  over  everybody  and  everything, 
and  a  good  steady  rain  made  everybody 
happy  and  very  wet.  In  a  few  hours  the 
motive  power  ran  out,  and  there  was 
nothing  for  it  but  to  hoist  the  sails.  A 
favourable  southerly  breeze  was  all  the 
luck  they  had,  and,  after  running  before  it 
all  night  '  wing  and  wing,'  Dyea  was  sight- 
ed in  the  morning. 


■^^ 


/""■•r' 


28 


M 


VII 


f 


,1 


U  I 


f 


TRANSPORTATION 

Before  leaving  the  very  last  remnant  of 
civilization,  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  celebrated 
Treadwell  mine  on  Douglas  Island,  a  few 
miles  from  Juneau.  The  good  ship 
Mexico^  Captain  Thomas,  dropped  down 
there  during  the  alleged  night.  We  had 
a  deck-load  of  timber  for  the  mine  and  a 
couple  of  big  iron  boilers.  The  deck-load 
was  easily  disposed  of  in  the  picturesque 
wa)'  they  do  things  in  Alaska,  by  simply 
chucking  it  overboard  and  allowing  the 
consignee  the  privilege  of  picking  it  up 


i      ai: 


TRANSPORTATION 


29 


if  he  could — much  on  the  same  principle 
as  Josh  Billings,  being  in  a  comir.ercial 
frame  of  mind,  is  supposed  to  have  written 
to  his  wife  : 

'My  dear  wife,— Enclosed  please  find 
ten  dollars,  if  you  can.' 

I  waited  patiently  on  deck  to  see  whether 
they  would  land  the  boilers  the  same  way, 
and  felt  quite    disappointed    when  they 
did  not.    I  was  introduced  to  the  manager 
and  the  mine,  and  heard  the  continuous 
pounding  of  the  two  hundred  and  forty 
stamps  and  other  machinery  which,  nio-ht 
and  day  all  the  year  round,  except  Christ- 
mas Day,  crunches  up  the  rock  and  ex- 
tracts the  precious  yellow  metal  for  the 
benefit  of  the  lucky  shareholders. 

The  cargo  unloaded,  we  were  soon  back 
at  Juneau  alongside  the  wharf.  I  cannot 
help  thinking  that  this  wharf  must  be  a 


wmmmmmmm 


t  ^ 


41 


•       »!' 


III!* 


«|i 


iiii' 


30 


TO  KLOJ^DYKE  AND  BACK 


source  of  much  revenue.  The  proprietors. 
whoe\  3r  they  are,  do  not  neglect  to  char^^e 
anyone  who  may  be  compelled  to  patronize 
them.  1  only  wonder  they  do  not  publish 
a  tariff  for  the  benefit  of  the  '  pilgrims,' 
which  w^ould  read  about  like  Lhis: — 

Looking  at  wharf  . 
Breathing  on  t,  narf 
Spitting  on  wharf  . 
Stepping  on  wli  arf  . 
Speaking  to  a  man  who  said 

he  knew  the  wharf  . 
Placing  'i^-ilise  on  wharf 
Removing  valise  from  wharf  . 

I  think  if  a  passenger  landed  with  a 
gripsack  in  each  hand,  and  managed  to 
walk  across  the  wharf  without  attracting 
attention,  they  might  let  him  off  free.  He 
would  of  course  be  permitted  to  carry  an 
umbrella  in  his  teeth. 


dollars. 

cents. 

1 

00 

1 

75 

2 

00 

2 

50 

2 

75 

3 

00 

4 

00 

TRANSPORTATION 


31 


re.  cents. 


I  innocently  landed  my  two  canoes,  and 
'tis  true  they  remained  there  overnight, 
occupying  a  double-bedded  shed,  without 
any  pretension  to  luxury  or  comfort. 
There  was  not  even  a  looking-glass  in  the 
place,  and  it  was  far  from  being  an  ideal 
marine  bridal  chamber ;  but  when  I  went 
to  g' ;t  my  poor  innocents  next  morning 
there  was  a  formidable  yellow  document 
setting  forth  that  so  many  cubic  feet,  cal 
culated  by  Greenwich  time,  in  129°  west 
longitude,  and  multiplied  by  the  manage 
ment,  plus  the  commission  of  all  the  clerks, 
was  equal  to  the  tonnage  of  a  first-class 
cruiser,  which  at  so  much  a  ton  amounted 
to  exactly  twice  the  value  of  the  canoes. 

Taking  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  1 
offered  to  surrender  the  canoes  and  give 
them  my  note  for  the  balance.  I  once 
heard  of  a  man  who  was  said  to  be  mean, 
because  he  tried  t  ^  get  into  a  circus  half- 


zi 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


i   I 


I- 


(i 


I 


).:■! 


price,  on  the  ground  that  he  had  only  one 
eye. 

The  irregular  fleet  which  was  supposed 
to  ply  between  Juneau  and  Dyea,  consisted 
of  the  Bustler,  which  was  certainly  the 
flagship,  the  Gasoline,  and  the  Alert.  I 
selected  the  latter  for  several  reasons,  the 
principal  one  being  that  the  other  two,  like 
an  after-dinner  speaker,  were  *  too  full  for 
utterance.'  Another  thing  made  me  fancy 
the  Alert.  I  had  discovered  that,  out  of 
the  dozen  or  more  men  who  had  engaged 
passage  in  her,  there  were  not  more  than 
six  or  seven  sober  enough  to  distinguish  a 
steamboat  from  a  cow,  so  that  I  hoped  for 
comparative  comfort  and  less  crowding. 

Alas !  there  were  seven  passengers,  and 
we  were  crowded.  The  little  craft  buzzed 
merrily  along,  occasionally  dropping  a  hat 
or  a  trunk  overboard,  to  kind  of  blaze  the 
way  back. 


'  I 


ly  one 

)posed 
isisted 
y   the 
ert.     I 
ns,  the 
v^o,  like 
uU  for 
B  fancy 
out  of 
igaged 
than 
ruish  a 
)ed  for 

rs,  and 

)uzzed 

a  hat 

se  the 


TRANSPORTATION 


sa 


The  crew  consisted  of  a  very  small  boy, 
who  I  think  would  have  been  bright,  but 
he  had  not  been  washed  that  spring.  He 
was  stoker,  stevedore  and,  I  regret  to  say, 
cook.  He  also  steered  the  boat  when  he 
was  not  busy. 

Our  only  meal  on  this  passage 
apparently  consisted  of  pork  chops  on  the 
half  shell,  bread,  v/ith  unmistakable  dusky 
signs  of  the  young  gentleman  of  the  first 
part,  and  opaque  tepid  water  which  had 
evidently  been  trying  to  get  up  a  flirtation 
with  a  pinch  of  green  tea  and  had  Luen 
bitterly  disappointed. 

It  was  lonely  work,  and  there  was 
nothing  to  do  but  watch  the  porpoises 
and  hang  on  to  the  little  ship  in  fear  and 
trembling.  The  night  was  long  and 
weary,  but  there  was  no  place  long  enough 
to  lie  down  upon.  The  captain,  having 
bent  on  a  line  to  the  little  watca-charni 


D 


V' 


u 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


iMlr 


III 


Nil    'f 


anchor,  suddenly  let  it  go  at  four  a.m.  in 
six  fathoms  of  water.  I  could  not  under- 
stand this  at  first,  but  soon  after  I  solved 
the  mystery  in  a  very  practical  manner. 
We  were  only  drawing  six  feet,  and  I 
wondered  why  we  anchored  in  six  fathoms. 
It  was  chilly  and  very  desolate  at  that 
time  in  the  morning,  and  a  cold  damp 
sea  fog  closed  in  upon  us  to  make  the 
gloom,  oh !  80  beautifully  complete.  I 
bethought  me  of  the  two  tiny  canoes, 
roosting  peacefully  in  their  respective 
crates  on  the  boiler  top,  and,  securing  a 
fellow-sufferer,  proceeded  to  launch  my 
frail  barque  and  tried  to  make  the  land. 
It  did  not  take  long  to  discover  that  a 
thirty-five  foot  ebb-tide  had  an  important 
engagement  that  morning  down  town.  I 
gave  orders  to  take  soundings,  and  seven 
inches  by  the  mark  was  the  melancholy 
discovery.    This  rapidly  shoaled  to  four, 


.m.  in 
under- 
solved 
lanner. 
and   I 
■athoms. 
at  that 
i  damp 
ake  the 
lete.     I 
I  canoes, 
speclive 
juring  a 
nch  my 
e  land, 
that  a 
portant 
town.     I 
id  seven 
tlancholy 
to  four, 


TRANSPORTATION 


86 


1 
I 


which  compelled  us  to  abandon  the  ship  a 
good  mile  from  the  shore  proper.  So  we 
picked  her  up  on  our  shoulders  and 
marched  wearily  over  the  long  dreary 
mud-flats  in  the  direction  of  Healy  and 
Wilson's  store. 

I  was  lucky  here.  Arriving  at  my 
initial  point,  cold,  wet,  weary  and  hungry, 
I  ran  across  an  old  pioneer,  who  like 
myself  had  seen  strange  things  before. 
With  true  hospitality,  begotten  of  a  long 
western  residence  on  the  plains,  Sam 
Heron  took  me  in  and,  reaching  under  the 
bed,  produced  a  bottle.  I  meekly  asked 
for  a  cup,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to 
suggest  water;  but  seeing  the  gathering 
sneer  upon  his  surprised  Alaskan  counten- 
ance, I  shut  my  eyes  and  commended  my- 
self to  heaven,  took  a  short  sharp  pull, 
and  think  I  must  have  dislocated  my  left 
Shortly   afterwards,  when    I   had 

r2 


lung 


|.       T/.' 


! 


i 


if*-:; 


a« 


ro  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


stopped  coughing,  I  thanked  him  most 
cordially  with  tears  in  my  eyes.  He  was 
very  glad  ic  see  me,  and  it  was  difficult 
to  prevent  another  pyrotechnical  experi- 
ment out  of  the  same  bottle. 


i 


,  f-it 


»1 


VIII 

ELEVATION 

I  DO  not  know  whether  you  have  ever 
witnessed  a  '  rush  to  the  ^oW-diggings ' 
and  been  well  mixed  up  in  it  yourself. 
If  net,  it  is  an  experience  that  I  could 
not  recommend.  There  are  many  o<,her 
pleasanter  ways  of  putting  in  time. 

I  have  seen  a  nice,  steady-going   re- 
spectable member  of  society  in  comfortable 
circumstances  calmly  pursuing  the  calling 
which  he  had  adopted,  with  fair  chances 
of  moderate  success  and  comparative  hap- 
P'ness.     Yes,  I  might  almost  add  to  these 


1/ 


'  I  ■ 


1 


i    -S 


'ii;« 


■»  'I 


i'     ^1 


'  '* 


Iff'    '' 


88 


rO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


attractions  a  pretty  wife  and   the    usual 
little   footsteps.     This    individual   is   ap- 
parently quite  sane  enough  for  all  practical 
purposes,  and  would  never  think  of  rob- 
bing a  bank;  when  some  daj'  a  wandering 
prospector  turns  up  and  exhibits  a  hand- 
ful of  nuggets,  worth  perhaps  two   hun- 
dred dollars.     I  have  watched  the    calm 
blue  eye  of  the   respectable   member  of 
society  aforesaid  suddenly  flash  with  the 
glitter  of  avarice,  as  he  fondly  fumbles 
the  little  yellow  chunks  and  meditatively 
weighs  them  in  his  hand.     In  a  moment 
the  pretty  wife,  the  fairy  footsteps,  the 
regular  salary,  the  happy  home  with  the 
framed  text  over  the  mantelpiece,  are  all 
forgotten.    A  wild,   insatiable   lust  after 
lucre  takes  possession  of  this  poor  but 
honest  haberdasher,  and  he  longs  to  go 
and    do   likewise.    All  it  takes  now    is 
the  hurried  perusal  of  a  pamphlet, '  Advice 


k 


I 


ELEVATION 


8» 


to   Gold    Seekers,'   or    a    Transportation 
Company's  folder,  with  glowing  descrip- 
tions of '  gold  dust  plentiful  as  sawdust,'  or 
some  equally  glittering  lie ;  and  he  is  a 
lost  soul.    The   modest    little    home    is 
hastily  given  up,  he  scrapes  together  his 
few  hard-earned  ducats,  and,  with  a  blue 
flannel  shirt  on  his  back  and  an  incipient 
beard   on    his    chin,    he    joins   the   mis- 
guided motley  procession. 

Another  phase  of  the  disease,  when  the 
germs  are  once  absorbed  into  the  system, 
is  that  no  antidote  has  ever  yet  been  dis- 
covered.    I  have   met   many   victims   on 
the  road  to  disappointment  and  destruction, 
and,  in  language  begotten  of  experience 
and  faltering  with  well-feigned  emotion,  I 
have  lamentably  failed  to  persuade  them 
to  turn   back  ere  it  was  too  late.     I  have 
heard  old  chuckle-headed  parents  proudly 
announce  with  assurance,  the  offspring  of 


(  ••- 


11^ 


I 

I 


:(;  ^ 


I.I  if 


II      I 


40 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


ignorance,  that  though  the  heavens  fall 
*  our  John  will  get  there.' 

At  Dyea  on  the  1st  of  May,  1896,  a 
thousand  people,  men,  women,  children, 
and  unweaned  babies,  were  struggling  to 
get  over  the  Chilcoot  Pass.  There  were 
many  dogs  and  several  Indians  to  help 
them. 

I  soon  learned  the  whereabouts  of  my 
little  force.  Surrounded  by  every  con- 
ceivable species  of  human  being,  of  all 
shades  and  nationality,  they  were  camped 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Dyea  Cafion,  the 
entrance  to  the  Chilcoot  Pass.  This  is 
only  about  nine  miles  from  the  sea,  but 
it  is  no  joke  to  take  even  three  tons  of 
supplies  that  far.  My  people  did  it  by 
hastily  building  small  flat-bottomed  boats 
fifteen  feet  long,  which  they  loaded  and 
dragged  up  the  shallow  glacier  stream 
called  the  Dyea  River,  a  distance  of  six 


ELEVATION 


41 


miles.  Here  navigation  ends  and  every- 
thing has  to  be  carried.  The  coast-range 
Indian  is  no  doubt  a  wonderful  beast  of 
burden,  and  very  useful  to  man.  At  ten 
cents  a  pound,  he  will  stagger  over 
mountain  passes  with  a  load  on  his  back 
that  makes  you  tired  to  look  at  or  pay  for. 
He  is  teetotally  unreliable,  and  will  drop 
your  most  precious  belongings  anywhere, 
upon  the  slightest  provocation  of  another 
cent  from  the  first  stranger  he  meets.  But 
he  is  a  very  necessary  ruffian  until  the 
Chilcoot  Pass  is  abolished. 

I  was  anxious  to  ascertain  if  the  pass 
was  really  as  heartrending  as  the  pictures 
I  had  seen  in  the  guide-books  portrayed 
it,  and  consulted  an  American  gentleman 
who  came  up  in  the  Alert  with  me,  and 
who  subsequently  had  been  industriously 
earning  a  *  f;rub  stake  '  by  packing  up  to 
the  summit.     I  simply  asked  him   if  it 


'r* 


fs^^xsem^mmmm 


w^m 


,t 


?ll  i 


'1 


],!• 


i    !' 


Pi 


Jit         r  J  ' 

i ;  m 


42 


2'0  KLONDl'KE  AND  BACK 


was  as  steep  as  represented.  He  had  a 
wail,  pale,  drawn  look,  and  after  reflective- 
ly scratching  his  ear  he  said, 

'  Wal,  cap,  I  was  jOA'^-pared  for  it  to  be 

per-2?e?i-dicular,  but  by  G d  I  never 

thought  it  would  lean  back.' 

To  surmount  the  Chilcoot  Pass  and  the 
attendant  dif&culties,  it  is  most  essential 
to  secure  a  fine  day.  These  phenomena 
are  very  scarce.  It  is  not  uncommon  for 
three  weeks  to  elapse  before  the  weather 
is  sufficiently  calm  to  ensure  a  safe 
passage. 

To  feebly  illustrate  this,  two  of  my  men 
had  been  sent  across  the  summit  to  Lake 
Lindermann,  while  two  remained  to  bring 
up  the  last  of  the  camp  equipage.  These 
latter  two,  failing  to  get  across  the  next 
day,  were  separated  from  their  com- 
panions for  a  week,  as  there  was  no  fine 
weather  durinar  the  interval. 


Eld  a 
tive- 

)  be 
2ver 


the 
itial 
Lena 

for 
her 
safe 

Qen 
ake 
ing 
ese 
ext 
►m- 
ine 


f 


n 


! 
,       I 


i; 


i  '  ^ 


1 

vr 


If  0 

I  II 

:  h 

I  . 


1^' 

■>{■     -  ( 


!''^ 


'•  i 


1 J 


T 


Hi    f 


I 


I; ; 


•:». 


©, 


fJ 


A 


f 


•¥©:?. 


GOING     OVER     THE    CHILCOOT     PASS 


[Tn  tniv  p.  1} 


•I 


ELEVATION  4» 

The  day  I  crossed,  May  8ch,  it  was 
raining  on  the  southern,  can  I  say  slope^ 
in  the  early  morning ;  but  this  rapidly 
changed  to  snow  when  I  was  at  the  foot 
of  the  summit  and  it  commenced,  to  blow, 
as  is  usual,  from  the  south.  I  fancied 
that  I  had  often  heard  it  blow  before.  I 
have  assisted  at  a  western  tornado,  and 
been  present  during  the  first  act  of  a 
Minnesota  cyclone.  I  have  also  heard  a 
patriotic  orator  air  his  eloquence  on  the 
Fourth  of  July.  But  all  this  experience 
faded  into  insignificance  when  this  little 
southern  zephyr  announced  its  birth  with 
a  wild,  mad,  howling  shriek.  You  could 
lean  up  against  it. 

With  bewildering  rapidity  the  air 
became  filled  with  particles  of  whirling 
snow,  and  in  less  than  five  minutes  I 
could  only  faintly  distinguish  the  heels 
of  the  man  immediately    ahead    of  me, 


1  ■■' 


ji 


tn 


» 


V 


II 


(       I 


1  :: 


J 


44 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


which  I  remarked  were  generally  on  a 
level  with  my  eye,  and  I  could  not  help 
thinking  of  the  words  of  that  well-known 
song,  so  appropriate  to  this  occasion, 
*  The  blow  it  near  killed  father/ 

Some  enterprising  individual  had 
established  a  wire  cable  for  the  last  six 
hundred  foot  lift,  worked  by  two  poor 
wretched  horses,  who  were  patiently 
plodding  round  in  a  circle,  winding  up 
sleigh-loads  of  supplies  and  passengers  at 
one  and  one-half  cents  a  pound.  I  heard 
casually  that  this  gentleman  was  clearing 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  day  by 
the  operation. 

I  saw  one  unfortunate  woman  perched 
on  top  of  a  loaded  sleigh,  ready  to  make 
the  ascent.  She  was  seated  with  her 
back  to  the  scenery,  and  then  they  passed 
the  baby  up  to  her  to  take  charge  of. 
But  this  was  too  much  for  her,  and  I 


Mil 


m 


on  a 
help 
town 
sion. 


had 
six 

)oor 

itly 

up 
at 

ird 

ing 

by 

ed 

ke 

er 

id 

•f. 

I 


i' 


i-  I 


i 


f< 


o 

UJ 


(M 

in 
10 

5 


o 
o 
u 
-J 


«. 

s 


5 

o 

-4 


ELEVATION  0 

heard  her  distinctly  refuse  to  'resk  the 
life  of  the  child;'  and  so  the  juvenile 
Yukoner  was  carried  up  by  one  of  the 
men  as  the  careful  mother  slowly  ascend- 
ed the  almost  perpendicular  height  and 
disappeared  into  the  clouds. 

The  maternal  instinct  is  certainly 
sometimes  wonderfully  developed,  parti- 
cularly in  woman. 


I 

s 


(M 

(O 
10 

K 
O 
O 
U 
-I 


y^lp- 


ii 

,  ] 

1' 

i   i 

(   i 

fi 

(■  i 


; ' 


i; ! 


i  I 


i;l 


46 


IX 


TRIBULATION 


Once  at  the  summit  of  the  Chilcoot  Pass, 
three  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea,  crowded  into  such  a  short 
horizontal  space,  the  danger  and  difficul- 
ties ahead  appear  to  dwindle  into 
insignificance.  Elevation  having  been 
accomplished,  elation  follows,  and  the 
downgrade  plunge  is  most  welcome,  but 
how  it  did  storm  up  there ! 

Far  above  the  timber  line,  without 
shelter,  it  is  a  very  wise  move  to  seek 
the  lower  levels  as  rapidly  as  possible. 


TRIBULATION  47 

There  is   little  difficulty   in  this,  as   the 
descent  on  the  northern  side  is  almost  as 
abrupt  as  the  southerly  approach.     It  is 
about    five    hundred    feet    vertically    to 
Crater  Lake,  and  not  much  more  horizon- 
tally.    The  usual  method  of  getting  there 
is  to  sit  down  suddenly  on  the  summit. 
You  have  arrived  when  you  stop.     The 
summit  is  not  the  sort  of  place  to  linger 
at.     There  are  no  attractions  of  any  kind. 
Many  tons  of  supplies,  however,  have  to 
be  left  there  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
elements,   till    you    can   send    back    for 
them,  sometimes  only  to  find  them  buried 
deep    beneath   the   drifted   snow,    when, 
after  prodding    carefully    round    in  the 
supposed   vicinity,  you   may   be   able  to 
locate  your  provisions  and  dig  them  out. 
The  day  I  crossed,  an  enterprising  dentist 
bound  for  Dawson  City   lost  his    whole 
kit  of  tools,  and  never  recovered  them. 


r 


-.  fi 


■1m  i 


f 


(' 


ll:i 


I  i 


i/:i        I 


H,     ■! 


48 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


The  wind  comes  roaring  down  throuj^h 
the  pass,  the  dazzling  glare  of  the  sun 
reflected  from  the  snow  literally  tears  the 
skin  off  your  face,  the  exertion  of  con- 
tinuous climbing  throws  you  into  a 
violent  perspiration,  and,  when  you  stop 
for  a  moment  to  collect  your  thoughts 
and  breath,  the  icy  blast  strikes  through 
your  very  marrow,  chilling  you  to  the 
core.  Visions  of  pneumonia  and  other 
kindred  complaints  flit  through  your  be- 
wildered brain,  with  the  accompanying 
panorama  of  a  highly  respectable  funeral 
procession,  as  you  wearily  drag  one  leg 
after  another,  and  make  afiidavits  with 
yourself  that  this  shall  never  occur  again. 
It  is  true  that  there  are  distinctly  dis- 
couraging moments  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
summit. 

Only  nine  miles  to  Lake  Lindermann, 
the  very  head  waters  of  the  Lewes,  Pelly, 


I  i' 


49 


TRIBULATION 

Yukon    Waterway,    and    all     down-hiU 
After  miles  and  miles  of  ten  steps  and  a 
breather,  the   luxury  of  a   few  hundred 
feet  of  level  can  hardly  be  explained.     If 
It    .3    only    a    slight    incline,   which    in 
cmhzed   society   would    undoubtedly   be 
regarded    as    quite    steep,  it    feels    like 
going  down-hill,  such  is  the  comparative 
effect. 

From  the  summit  to  Lake  Lindennann 
has  been  described  by  one  well-meaning 
historian  as  '  only  a  pleasant  run.'  I  envy 
him  his  powers  of  description.  It  is  a 
mistake  to  bring  people  up  to  middle  age 
with  an  idea  that  it  is  the  correct  thin, 
to  tell  the  truth.  ° 

r  did  not  try  '  a  pleasant  run,'  although 
the  pamphleteer  distinctly  promised  it, 
but  I  have  a  large-sized  impression  of 
having  accomplished  a  very  unpleasant 
walk,  through  chains  of  frozen  lakes,  over 

E 


Hi   I 

"if 
lit    ? 


»!.1 


1 

»    I 


ill 


i'i 


il,-- 


r^ 


50 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


ridges,  down  valleys  clothed  in  soft  mushy 
snow,  beneath  icy  precipices,  till  at  last 
Lake  Lindermann  hove  in  sight. 

This  might  all  have  been  considered  a 
pleasant  run  if  the  conditions  had  been 
favourable ;  but,  a?  as  I  in  my  case,  the 
snow  was  melting,  the  ice  was  marked 
dangerous,  the  cafion  was  reported  im- 
passable, and  altogether  there  w"s  nothing 
very  pleasant  except  the  novel  sensation 
of  once  more  going  down-hill. 


61 


DESOLATION 


And     thus     followed     my     banishment. 
Twenty-one  long  desolate  days  and  dreary 
nights,  camped  upon  a  gravel  bar  at  the 
head  of  the  lake,  profusely  decorated  with 
boulders  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  surrounded 
by  a  human  mob  of  most  diverse  profes- 
sions, all   anxious   to    reach   the   golden 
Mecca  to  ply  their  varied  trades  and  in- 
dulge in  their  different  avocations  for  the 
benefit  or  ruin   of  the   honest,   innocent 
miner. 


1 


I 


„*  i 


»i  • 


'•"; 


''     I 


^" 


62 


ro  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


Misery  likes  company,  and  poverty 
makes  strange  bed-fellows.  These  two 
well-worn  adages  are  most  appropriate  in 
a  stampede  of  this  kind.  The  *  right  sort ' 
issist  each  other  in  difficulties  which 
of  course  cannot  be  experienced  in  civil- 
ization. It  is  when  the  grim  monster  has 
to  be  faced  and  a  timely  stroke  of  the 
paddle  averts  calamity,  or  a  kindly  help- 
ing hand  snatches  us  from  a  fatal  header 
into  some  fathomless  abyss,  that  the  true 
qualities  of  men  come  to  the  front  and  can 
be  really  appreciated. 

Charity  too,  and  the  general  principle 
of  '  dividing  up,'  is  most  conspicuous 
amongst  those  who  get  accustomed  to 
suffer  untold  hardship  together. 

1  was  surrounded  by  contraband  whisky 
pedlers,  gamblers,  Jews,  Gentiles,  ladies 
whose  briefness  of  skirt  barely  equalled 
the    briefness    of    their    characters,    old 


DESOLATION  01 

miners,  young  gentlemen,  escaping  mur- 
derers, returning  Yukoners,  safe  in  the 
happy  possession  of  rich  claims,  always 
oracles  to  be  looked  up  to  and  respected. 

'See  that  old  fellow  over  there  with 
them  two  black  dorgs,  that's  his  wife  with 
him,  say  he  owns  twenty-eight  Eldorado, 
he  took  out  sixty  thousand  dollars  last 
year  and  went  after  his  wife;'  and  the 
chances  are  you  would  see  as  miserable  a 
specimen  of  the  genus  homo  as  ever  dis- 
graced a  pair  of  blue  overalls. 

I  struck  up  quite  a  comradeship  with 
a  small  wiry  Israelite,  who  was  taking  in 
a  mixed  cargo  of  whisky,  supplies,  and 
clothing.  He  invariably  addressed  me  as 
'  Cap,'  but  at  other  times,  when  not  in  a 
familiar  vein,  he  would  call  me  'Mr. 
Sextant,'  evidently  looking  at  the  two  as 

being  synonymous  from  a  nautical  point 
of  view. 


# 


u 


'i 


'^mmm 


w^mm^^mm 


m^i^ 


' 


54 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


H  If 


/  ii 


w^ 


^i»' 


I         ! 


v-H       t 


He  had  been  over  this  route  several 
times  before,  and  had  made  a  trip  from 
Circle  City  to  Dyea,  something  over  a 
thousand  miles,  on  the  ice  in  the  dead  of 
winter.  He  had  thirteen  dof^s,  iive  men, 
and  a  partner  with  him.  The  dogs  Avere 
beauties.  My  favourite  was  surnamed 
'  Shaggs,'  on  account  of  the  imxnense 
crop  of  wool  he  possessed.  There  was 
no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  some  of  his 
ancestors  had  been  indirectly  compromised 
by  a  black  bear.  He  had  a  perfect  bear''s 
head;  he  was  absolutely  blr.ck,  with  a 
white  spot  over  each  eyebrow ;  the  wool 
upon  his  ^orehead  was  about  eight  inches 
thick,  and  he  was  always  on  the  broad 
grii.  He  waa  the  handsomest  dog  and 
the  most  nondescript  I  ever  saw. 

'  Shaggs  '  had  a  chum  in  the  team  who 
rejoiced  in  the  name  of  '  .linger.'  He 
was  the   Mgliest  animal  imaginable.     His 


1 


I 


DESOLATION  66 

ancestors  seemed  to  have  had  the  same 
difficulty  with  the  bear  family,  evidently 
being  more  partial  to  the  Cinnamon 
variety. 

These    two     were    inseparable.     They 
worked  together  all  day,  ate  together  in 
the  evening,  and  slept  together  at  night. 
'Ginger'    played   Damon    to   perfection, 
while  old  '  Shaggs '    was    an    exemplary 
Pythias.     Woe  betide  the    dog  that    in- 
dulged  in  any  breach  of  etiquette  at  dinner 
time,  or  attempted    any  familiarity   with 
either    of    the    '  pardners.'     The    gentle 
smile  would  fade  from  the  lips  of  Shaggs,' 
and   with   a   low    threatening    growl   he 
would  warn  the  intruder  to  retire.     This 
was  generally  sufficient. 

There  were  many  other  splendid 
specimens  in  this  train,  '  Bob,'  '  Charley,' 
'  White  Horse,'  '  Jack,'  and  little  '  Yukon,' 
the  leader,   a   native  born  dog,  a  smug- 


f! 

( 

I'll 

;           t              1 

t 

I 

1 

1 

■ 

'        1 

1 

TO  klojsdyke  and  back 


faced  little  beast,  jet-black  with  a  perfect 

white  collar,  and  on  account  of  this  an4  ki« 

innocent  inane  expression,  so  often  found 

j^  curates,  we  christened  him  '  the  parson.' 

On   many   a   stormy   night,    when   the 

wind  was  howling  and  the  snow  drifting, 

the  little  stove-pipe   rattling,  and  the  tent 

surging  and  trying  to    break  away    from 

its  moorings,  I  have   noticed    my    friend 

'  the    parson '   quietly    insinuate    hi>m»elf 

into    the    shelter    and    meekly    sit    Wt 

upright  before  the  remnants  of   the  fire, 

looking  the    picture    of  genteel    poverty, 

with    a    beseeching     expression     almost 

human,    which    plainly    said,   '  I    hope  I 

don't    intrude ' — while     outside     in    the 

howling  blast,  a  large  black  ball  of  wool 

and  a  similar  one  of  yellow,  close  together, 

located     the     position    of    the    sleeping 

'  pardners.' 


• 


«i    i''  i 


XI 


STAGNATION 


Three  weeks  is  a  long  pause,  made  com- 
pulsory    by     stormy     weather     on     the 
summit  of  the  coquettish  Chilcoot,  where 
the  Goddess  of  Wind,  if  there  is  such  a 
virago,  would  gently  flirt  her   fan   for  a 
moment   and    obliterate    the    landscape; 
where  strong  men  would  slave  and  toil 
for   weeks   harnessed    to    sleighs    loaded 
with  the  necessaries  of  life,  ever  struffo-Hno- 
onward    towards     the    golden   goal,    the 
iaint-hearted  often  turning  back   in    dis- 


'I 
f 


fin- 


11  m 


w^^^ 


■m« 


1 


I    r. 


58 


ro  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


gust,  the  stronger  and  more  aggressive 
persevering  in  their  self-imposed  task, 
only  perhaps  to  meet  a  watery  grave 
beyond. 

There  was  much  food  for  reflection  for 
p  philosopher  at  the  head  of  Lake  Linder- 
mann,  if  nothing  else.  The  little  camp  was 
daily  increased  by  the  arrival  of  many 
curiosities,  all  hopeful  and  absolutely 
positive  of  success.  As  the  sun  rose 
earlier  each  day  and  set  later  each  night, 
he  rapidly  gained  on  the  ice-encrusted 
scenery,  and  rendered  travelling  over  the 
lake  uncertain  and  unsafe.  There  was 
nothing  for  it  but  to  wait.  Impatience  to 
reach  the  mines  had  to  be  curbed  in  defer- 
ence to  the  physical  'conditions  of  the 
climate. 

Many  variety  women,  taken  in  by  poly- 
gamous bar-tenders,  began  to  arrive.  An 
occasional  broken-down  comedian,,  with  a 


'*   if 


J 


STAGNATION 


6D 


tired  expression  and  an  assortment  of 
well-worn  clothes  and  jokes,  would  swell 
the  merry  multitude,  and  make  the  short 
night  hideous  with  piteous  appeals  to 
'  Just  tell  me  that  you  love  me,'  etc. :  an 
absolute  impossibility  under  the  circum- 
stances. 

Amidst   all   the   grotesque   features   of 
this  combination,  there  could  always  be 
seen  the  profoundly  pathetic  side  of  life. 
I  remember  one  poor  unfortunate  woman, 
who  had  accompanied  her  husband,  and 
brought  the  new-born  baby  along,  sooner 
than  leave  him  to  the  care  of  strangers, 
after  having  successfully  dragged  herself 
and  the  boy  across  the  icy  barrier,  was 
fated  to  pursue  her  weary  journey  with 
heavy  heart,  and  eyes  all  dimmed  with 
weeping,   alas !    without    the   poor   little 
innocent  adventurer,  and  nothing  but  the 
little  wooden  cross  way  up  on  the  hillside 


I'  I. 


li     : 


I 


4 


ll! 


II 


'•  i 


60 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


amidst  the  pines  to  remind  her  of  the 
hostage  she  bad  given  to  fortune. 

All  things  come  to  those  who  wait — but 
there  is  no  regular  time-table. 

The  days  got  longer  and  the  nights 
shorter,  until  the  strange  novelty  of 
chronic  daylight  became  a  regular  estab- 
lished institution. 

In  these  latitudes,  after  the  latter  part 
of  May,  there  is  no  such  thiii^;  as  dark- 
ness, which  is  a  nuisance,  and  causes  no 
end  of  complications.  Unless  a  man 
keeps  a  diary  and  checks  off  each  twelve 
hours  as  it  is  produced,  he  very  soon  loses 
track  of  the  day  of  the  week,  which,  al- 
though of  no  vital  consequence,  might 
enable  him  to  distinguish  between  night 
and  day,  which  would  help  him  some- 
what. 

The  day  of  the  laonth  is  soon  lost  sight 
of,  and  not  much  required  outside  of  civil- 


l    H 


0-f 


STAGNATION 


61 


ization;  but  with  the  day  of  the  week 
gone  too,  and  nothing  to  fall  back  upon 
but  the  year,  a  properly  brought  up 
church  member  becomes  discouraged  and 
confused.  He  finds  himself  or  herself 
having  breakfast  at  ten  o'clock  at  night, 
and  innocently  going  to  afternoon  teas  at 
five  a.m.  This  would  undoubtedly  lead 
to  confusion  anywhere  except  in  Alaska, 
where  everything  goes,  even  the  night. 
It  is  at  first  most  difficult  to  sleep  when 
the  sun  is  high  in  the  heavens,  and  most 
annoying,  after  getting  up,  to  find  that 
everybody  else  has  just  gone  to  bed. 

This  climatic  absurdity  is  responsible 
for  wholesale  hideous  irregularity,  which 
ends  up  by  everyone  doing  just  what 
they  feel  like.  They  eat  when  they  are 
hungry  and  drink  when  they  are  dry, 
sleeping  between  meals  if  necessary.  At 
last  the  hot  sun  and  warm  wind  slowly 


.11 


I 


^  w 


4' 


f) 


62 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


but  surely  melts  the  ice  in  the  lake,  and 
it  lazily  moves  off  towards  the  Arctic. 

All  this  time  we  have  not  been  idle, 
and  many  a  weary  trip  back  to  the  sum- 
mit has  been  made,  ever  bringing  down 
supplies.  My  two  Canadian  oanoes,  four 
thousand  miles  from  their  home,  looked 
well  as  they  were  launched  from  the  ice 
into  the  first  open  water  on  Lake 
Lindermann. 


.!' 


I!  ) 


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u. 
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UJ 

o 

Q 

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2: 

Q: 
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M 


i| 


XII 


EXHILARATION 


June  the  1st,  and  a  warm  bright  sunny 
day,  the  horrors  of  the  Chilcoot  behind  us 
and  almost  forgotten,  the  last  of  the  ice 
rushing  frantically  down  to  the  Arctic 
Ocean,  grinding  along  the  moss-covered 
banks  and  scrunching  past  rocky  cliffs, 
great  floes  of  fast-rotting  honeycombed  ice 
reluctantly  leaving  their  winter  quarters 
and  sailing  majestically  along,  to  be  rent 
asunder  with  a  terrible  crash  by  the  first 
rock  encountered  in  the  stream.  Ice 
everywhere,  ice  to  burn!  sometimes  piling 


I. 


1!^ 


I;:: 


iMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


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M    125 


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ill  1.8 


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23  WEST  MAIN  SlAEET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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[1  ' 


61 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


A 


high  up  on  the  banks,  gigantic  cakes  of 
many  acres  forcing  themselves  on  top  of 
the  smaller  fry  and  leaving  their  mark 
away  up  on  the  bark  of  the  spruce-trees, 
ever  hustling  northward  to  the  mouth  of 
the  mighty  Yukon,  there  to  lie  in  wait  and 
harass  the  early  spring  steamers,  until  dis- 
solved by  the  scorching  rays  of  an  almost 
vertical  sun. 

A  little  miserable  wheezy  portable  saw- 
mill was  puifing  away  day  and  night  at 
the  head  of  Lake  Bennet,  tearing  spruce 
logs  to  pieces  for  one  hundred  dollars  a 
thousand  feet.  Everybody  was  building  a 
boat,  lumber  was  hard  to  get,  and,  as  each 
plank  was  worried  off  the  log  by  the  un- 
sharpened  screeching  teeth  of  that  wretched 
little  circular  saw,  there  were  a  score  of 
applicants  ready  to  take  it  away,  and  in  ten 
minutes  that  plank  was  rapidly  being  trans- 
formed into  some  sort  of  craft. 


a. 


Q. 
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o: 

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m 


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^ 


E2LHILARAT10N 


6ft 


One  of  the  proprietors  of  this  little  gold 
mine,  who  also  possessed  an  unpronounce- 
able name,  said  to  me,  *  Spose  I  no  gettee 
de  logga,  I  no  makee  de  lorn.'  He  was  a 
picturesque  scoundrel,  evidently  of  Irish 
extraction  on  the  mother's  side,  and  had 
given  up  washing  since  attaining  his 
majority  —  he  was  not  much  over  forty  at 
this  time. 

There  muat  have  been  about  four  hun- 
dred people,  making  four  hundred  different 
varieties  of  death-dealing  conveyances. 
Once  in  a  while  you  would  see  something 
resembling  a  boat,  but  not  often.  As  a 
general  rule,  the  soap  box  and  coffin 
combination  was  the  most  popular  pattern. 
Anything  that  would  float  was  at  a 
premium,  and  it  was  not  an  uncommon 
sight  to  see  two  men  in  an  alleged  boat 
jauntily  leaving  the  head  of  Lake  Bennett 
with  all  sails  set  in  the  morning,  to  be 


06  TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 

found  quietly  sinking  the  same  afternoon. 

Some  men  could  not  wait  to  be  supplied 
by  the  mill,  but  went  in  for  whip-sawing 
their  own  lumber.  This  is  apparently  an 
innocent  and  harmless  amusement,  but  it 
leads  to  suicide  or  insanity.  One  man 
stands  on  top  of  the  log  and  the  other 
below,  the  saw  is  then  pushed  up  and 
down  along  a  chalk  mark  until  the  lower 
operator's  lungs  are  filled  with  sawdust, 
when  the  work  has  to  stop. 

There  was  a  story  going  the  rounds  of 
the  different  shipyards,  that  two  *  pardners* 
commenced  whip-sawing,  when  afber  work- 
ing awhile  the  lower  one  excused  himself 
for  a  moment,  and,  having  hired  the  first 
man  he  met  to  take  his  place  in  the  pit, 
disappeared.  The  sawing  proceeded,  until 
the  uppermost  *  pardner,'  all  unconscious 
that  he  was  working  with  an  entire  stran- 
ger, bethought  him  of  a  similar  device,  and 


[I'l 


»; 


■m 


^mr^F 


EXHILARATION  e? 

making  some  ordinary  explanation  climbed 
down  and  hired  an  Indian  to  do  the  saw- 
ing. The  *  pardners '  discovered  each  other 
shortly  afterwards  in  an  adjacent  saloon. 

My  boat  was  designed  in  three  minutes, 
and  built,  launched,  and  loaded  in  three 
days. 

The  motley  mob,  with  its  daily  and 
hourly  recruits,  was  becoming  annoying 
and  distinctly  unsanitary.  I  determined 
to  sail,  although  the  pitch  was  barely 
cold  in  the  seams  of  the  boat.  So,  on  a 
Sunday  night,  we  loaded  up  the  cargo, 
stowed  anyhow,  pitched  things  on  board 
generally,  and  with  five  men  and  a  dog 
we  were  under  way  at  last  with  a  fair 
breeze  and  a  sense  of  freedom ;  with  two 
thousand  five  hundred  miles  of  waterway 
ahead  of  us,  and  a  feeling  of  exhilaration 
and  independence  impossible  to  describe. 


Ill 


f2 


M 


\\ 


u 


XIII 


INUNDATION 


It  did  not  take  long  to  discover  that  our 
tight  little  craft  leaked  like  a  sieve;  in 
fact,  we  detected  two  feet  of  water  lurk- 
ing in  the  hold  almost  before  the  cargo 
was  taken  on  board,  and  we  had  to  sub- 
mit to  three  *  jeers'  from  the  assembled 
multitude  on  the  beach  as  we  alternately 
loaded  in  supplies  and  baled  out  water. 
Being,  however,  descended  from  a  long 
line  of  proud  and  haughty  ancestors,  we 
persevered  in  the  determination  to  make  a 


INUNDATION  M 

Start  at  all  hazards,  and  kept  a  bright 
look-out  for  a  good  place  to  land,  well 
out  of  sight  of  our  late  companions  in 
misery. 

The  Eva  was  twenty-six  feet  long  and 
seven  feet  wide.  She  was  strongly  built 
and  very  green.  The  planks  upon  which 
depended  the  lives  of  six  good  men  and 
true,  not  to  mention  one  absolutely 
useless  dog,  were  but  a  few  days  before 
innocently  growing  in  the  wilderness, 
little  dreaming  that  the  ruthless  axe  of 
the  wily  woodsman  would  so  soon  nip 
the  ambitious  pine  in  the  bud,  transform 
him  into  a  boat,  and  start  him  down  the 
great  waterway  towards  the  land  of 
gold. 

It  was  humiliating  certainly,  with  all 
sail  set  and  a  fair  wind  blowing,  to  be 
compelled  to  land  as  soon  as  possible,  but 
as  the  water  gained  upon  us  there  was 


70 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


nothing  for  it.  So,  selecting  the  first 
streak  of  sandy  beach,  I  ran  her  up  head 
on.  Although  ten  p.m.  it  was  still 
broad  daylight,  and  we  proceeded  to  un- 
load the  cargo.  My  ship's  carpenter  had 
neglected  to  caulk  the  bottom  seam, 
which  accounted  for  the  leak.  With  the 
aid  of  a  Spanish  windlass,  hastily  rigged, 
and  many  cursory  remarks,  the  little 
vessel  was  hauled  up  high  and  dry  and 
the  deficiency  rectified. 

Then  came  a  wasted  day  and  a  foul 
wind;  but  next  morning  the  prevailing 
southerly  breeze  came  howling  out  of  the 
pass  again,  and  we  were  soon  plunging 
down  the  centre  of  Lake  Bennett,  the 
staunch  little  Eva,  in  spite  of  her  scow- 
like proportions,  making  short  work  of  the 
twenty-one  miles  to  Cariboo  Crossing,  on 
the  three-mile  river,  which  connects  with 
Tahgish  Lake. 


INUNDATION 


11 


It  was  a  great  relief  to  get  away  from 
the  madding  crowd — to  escape,  if  only 
temporarily,  from  the  filth  of  the  huddled- 
up  encampments  and  the  chronic  pro- 
fanity— to  once  more  breathe  the  pure  air 
of  heaven,  and,  forgetting  all  past  miseries, 
to  sail  or  drift  contentedly  down  this 
mighty  waterway. 

Speaking  of  profanity,  it  seems  to  be 
indigenous  to  the  Alaskan  soil.  It  is 
particularly  ornamental,  and  calmly  per- 
meates the  most  ordinary  conversation, 
absolutely  without  any  provocation  what- 
ever. It  struck  me  that  extremely  orig- 
inal and  elaborate  able-bodied  oaths  were 
often  completely  thrown  away  upon 
trivial  subjects,  when  they  might  have 
been  kept  on  hand  for  a  more  worthy 
occasion. 

I  saw  a  lady  struggling  to  put  up  a 


7S 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


small  tent,  which  blew  down  as  fast  as 
she  got  it  up,  with  persistent  and  no  doubt 
irritating  regularity.  With  the  natural 
courtesy  of  my  sex  to  females  in  distress, 
I  detailed  a  man  to  go  over  and  assist 
her.  He  soon  fixed  up  the  tent,  and,  be- 
ing of  a  jocular  disposition,  suggested 
that  when  things  went  so  contrarily  it 
was  a  pity  that  she  had  not  been  born  a 
man,  so  that  she  could  swear.  The  lady 
replied,  quite  unconscious  of  any  implied 
compliment, 

» Why,  mister,  I'll  be if  I 

haven't  cursed  that 

tent  the  whole morning,  but  it 

didn't  do  a bit  of  good, 

by • 

You  could  see  the  snow  thaw  round 
that  tent. 

I  sometimes  thought  that  driving  dogs 
might  be  responsible  for  a  good  deal  of 


I  V 


INUNDATION  IS 

the  trouble — there  is  no  doubt  about  its 
being  infectious. 

I  have  known   dog-drivers  who  could 
make  a  golf-player  blush. 


I?    ti 


3  f 


Jl 


74 


XIV 


EMiVNCIPATION 


:U 


ip.  t 


My  little  crew  was  now  divided  up  into 
regular  watches,  as  there  was  no  reason 
why  we  should  not  run  night  and  day.  I 
decided,  for  the  proper  preservation  of 
discipline,  to  adopt  the  usual  sea  regula- 
tions, where  the  captain  stands  no  watch. 
There  is  no  doubt  I  missed  a  good  deal  of 
sublime  Arctic  midnight  scenery  by  this 
arrangement,  and  many  a  grand  sunrise 
which  alas!  I  can  never  recall,  but  the 
boys  used  to  tell  me  all  ^about  it  in  the 
morning. 


'A   ^ 


■^ 


EMANCIPATION 


76 


With  everything  snugly  stowed  under 
our  half-decks  fore  and  aft,  one  big  white 
square  sail  bellying  out  before  the  south 
wind,  the  little  cook's  galley  forward, 
consisting  of  a  sheet-iron  stove  securely 
imbedded  in  a  box  of  sand,  the  smoke 
^rom  the  slender  stove-pipe  streaming 
ahead,  and  without  another  living  thing 
in  sight,  we  felt  emancipated.  Two  men 
slept,  while  four  stayed  awake  to  navigate 
the  ship  and  admire  the  scenery. 

On  Tahgish  Lake  the  wind,  our  only 
means  of  locomotion,  decided  to  go  back 
on  ue.  It  blew  in  fitful  gusts  or  lulled 
entirely.  We  were  often  taken  aback 
when  we  least  expected  it,  then  be- 
calmed and  made  utterly  helpless.  Old 
Boreas  had  it  all  his  own  way  in  the 
narrow  defiles  of  the  Chilcoot  Pass,  and 
was  much  given  to  blowing  about  it; 
but  here  it  seemed  his  force  was  spent. 


if 


f 


76 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


and  he  would  try  to  sneak  back  to  the 
blue  Pacific  Ocean. 

A  strange  phenomenon  occurs  in  this 
lake.  About  midway  down  on  the  right- 
hand  side,  the  Windy  Arm  enters  from 
an  easterly  direction.  It  is  correctly 
named.  Some  of  my  people  were  out 
fishing  in  a  canoe,  and,  noticing  the  big 
white  caps  running  in  this  arm  of  the 
lake,  came  on  board  and  reported  that  al- 
though we  were  entirely  out  of  wind  there 
was  a  large  surplus  over  there  and  nobody 
seemed  to  be  using  it. 

In  less  than  an  hour  we  had  worked 
our  little  ship  over  to  the  east  she  re. 
Then  with  much  toil,  by  poling,  towing, 
pushing  and  shoving  up  this  Windy  Arm, 
having  secured  a  substantial  offing  in 
order  to  avoid  a  group  of  rocky  islands, 
we  made  sail,  and  with  a  big  oar  jammed 
down  amidships  as  a  leaboard  we  simply 


.1  I 


EMANCIPATION 


77 


flew — ^the  Jack  pine  mast,  always  unre- 
liable, in  which  I  had  not  the  slightest 
confidence,  bent  like  a  fishing-rod  with  a 
twenty-pound  salmon  on.  However,  all's 
well  that  ends  well,  and  that  evening  we 
tied  up  opposite  Tahgish  Houses,  on  the 
Six  Mile  River,  a  deserted  Indian  village, 
while  the  piscatorial  artist  of  the  outfit 
exhibited  his  skill  and  wasted  his  time  in 
securing  a  few  ill-conditioned  grayling. 
These  we  condescended  to  devour  at  nine 
p.m.,  and  then  sailed  with  a  fine  fresh  fair 
wind  for  the  foot  of  Marsh  Lake,  about 
twenty  miles. 


1! 
it" 


m 


^ 


78 


XV 


CONTINUATION 


I  CANNOT  forget  waking  up  on  tl\is 
particular  morning  when  nearing  the  foot 
of  Marsh  Lake.  The  wind,  which  at  first 
had  been  strong,  got  gradually  weaker 
during  the  night,  and  when  I  relieved 
the  watch  at  four  a.m.  it  had  died  a 
natural  death. 

It  was  June  10th,  and  a  close  muggy 
atmosphere  hung  over  the  lake.  A 
ghastly  silence  prevailed,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  merry  buzz  of  the  enthusiastic 


CONTINUATION 


n 


mosquito.  This  gentleman  quickly  noti- 
fied us  that  he  had  come  to  stay  and  was 
ready  to  do  business.  McClintock  Island 
loomed  up  on  the  starboard  bow,  and 
dead  ahead  lay  the  opening  where  the 
Lewes  River  commenced  its  downward 
career.  But  alas!  the  delay  caused  by 
waiting  to  ensnare  a  few  wretched  grayling 
was  fatal.  Another  hour  or  less  of  that 
favourable  breeze,  and  we  would  have 
been  in  the  current  and  independent  of 
any  atmospheric  disturbance.  As  it  was, 
we  had  to  pull  wearily  onward,  providing 
an  excellent  breakfast  for  many  hundreds 
of  voracious  mosquitoes,  and  arriving  at 
last  at  the  head  of  the  Lewes  or  Fifty  Mile 
River,  as  this  part  of  it  is  called ;  when, 
with  or  '^  man  steering,  the  rest  could  go 
to  breakfast  and  forget  the  horrors  of  the 
preceding  night. 


Pa 

M 


If  « 


'  \ 


;  1 


m 


i<]  i 


ta.fi 


4 


80 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


All  day  we  drifted,  rowed,  and  sailed, 
as  opportunity  demanded,  an  occasional 
thunder  squall  breaking  the  monotony — 
the  river  muddy,  and  the  surrounding 
scenery  uninteresting ;  until,  late  in  the 
afternoon,  the  estimated  distance  being 
almost  run  out,  a  red  flag  on  the  bank 
told  me  we  were  approaching  the  cele- 
brated Miles  Gafion.  The  swift  current 
became  more  swift,  and  soon  the  dark 
chasm,  with  its  perpendicular  basaltic 
walls,  came  in  sight. 

The  superior  sailing  qualities  of  the 
Eva  had  enabled  us  to  pass  during  the 
night  four  Scandinavians,  who  followed  us 
closely  all  day.  Evidently  believing  that 
we  knew  the  river  well,  every  time  we 
hoisted  our  canvas,  they  ran  up  their  sail ; 
should  we  put  out  a  sweep  to  help  our 
boat  past  a  dangerous  point,  out  went  an 
oar  from  their  boat — in  fact,  they  imitated 


I 


s 


2: 

o 
j2: 

s 


n 


H 


I  H 


t 


# 


f  i;: 


'A  m 
1 


(i. '' 


Mi 


^     M 


1: 

f!    ^" 


CONTINUATION  81 

US  to  perfection,  and  arrived  at  the  head  of 
the  cafion  within  five  minutes  of  the  time 
we  landed. 


•1= 

iftj 


G 


i 


id 


I  j ) 


♦      * 


88 


XVI 


HESITATION 


There  is  a  time  in  the  tide  of  the  affairs 
of  man  who  go  down  to  the  Yukon  in 
boats  which  taken  at  its  flood  leads  on  to 
destruction. 

I  had  arrived  at  this  point,  and  decided 
to  camp  and  look  over  the  situation. 

I  believe  in  taking  ordinary  precaution 
to  preserve  life,  and  I  do  not  consider 
that  men  should  be  asked  to  incur  extra 
hazardous  risks  without  a  generous  equiv- 
alent;   but  on  these  waters  the  spirit  of 


jd 


"••w^-i*-, 

*> 

1 

•    /■  •  "A 

h 

L 

"^ 

f  . 
1^ 

Pi 

I' 

(     ■ 

• 

r  :.^ 

4 

J^S^ 

•■■'      .^ 

ii' 

^ 

;-^^-«i<fi^ 

"^  -i:? 

■ .:  m^ 

\\H 

1 

1 

J 

a; 

U1 


O 


1/1 
UJ 


if "   ft 


■  ! 

li  : 

1     1 

'  u'         / 1 

1 

If 

HESITATION  M 

adventure  becomes  rampant, and  everybody 
is  in  a  hurry  to  get  there  at  all  costs. 

One  celebrated  explorer,  lecturer,  and 
writer  says: 

'  The  White  Horse  Rapids  are  there, 
and  may  be  run  by  those  who  are  anxious 
to  say  they  have  done  it ;'  but  with  the 
next  breath  he  remarks, '  As  for  me,  I  am 
not  anxious  to  say  so.' 

I  tried  hard  to  get  some  sort  of  an  in- 
telligent description  of  the  much-dreaded 
*  White  Horse,'  but  in  vain.  I  met  many 
men  who  had  seen  the  monster,  and  many 
more  who  said  they  had.  Some  with  a 
natural  talent  for  lying,  probably  honestly 
inherited,  and  with  descriptive  powers  no 
doubt  cultivated,  attempted  to  explain  the 
difficulties  and  dangers  of  the  situation. 
I  used  to  get  them  to  draw  plans  of  the 
locality  in  the  sand,  which  developed  a 
good  deal  of  hidden  artistic   talent,  but 

g2 


fu 


ITi 


^HHf^^ 


^IP 


iHHH 


!       f 


84 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


failed  most  dismally  to  convey  the  slight- 
est idea  topographically  to  my  bewildered 
brain.  And  now  I  was  face  to  face  with 
the  real  thing.  Owing  perhaps  to  native 
modesty  and  natural  politeness  with  which 
I  am  afflicted,  I  did  not  assert  my  rights, 
which  I  might  easily  have  done,  in- 
sisting upon  going  through  in  the  boat ; 
but,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the 
cafion,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it 
was  perfectly  easy,  and  could  be  run  with 
comparative  safety  by  the  others. 

There  were  three  men  in  a  boat  who 
were  about  to  make  the  trip — a  very 
young  man,  whose  features  were  entirely 
concealed  by  an  enormous  arrangement 
of  mosquito-netting,  which  gave  him  the 
appearance  of  an  Egyptian  mummy;  a 
very  venerable,  grave,  and  reverend- 
looking  seigneur  with  golden  spectacles  ; 
while  the   third,  who  had  evidently  con- 


)'  > 


HESITATION 


86 


stituted  himself  master  of  the  ceremonies, 
was  a  glib-tongued  Yankee,  whose  total 
ignorance  of  the  gravity  of  the  situation 
gave  him  an  air  of  confidence  which 
evidently  imposed  upon  the  other  two 
innocents.  They  had  a  frail-looking, 
sharp-nosed  craft,  of  amateur  construc- 
tion, and  before  making  a  start  the  general 
manager  of  the  expedition  delivered  a 
short  oration.     He  said, 

*  Neaow,  boys,  there  ain't  the  slightest 
particle  of  danger ;  look  straight  in  front 
of  you  and  watch  me,  don't  be  skeared, 
just  pull  your  best.' 

The  wretched  crew  cowered  behind 
their  oars  in  abject  fear  and  trembling. 
The  younger  man  did  not  even  remove 
the  numerous  folds  of  mosquito  bar  which 
entirely  obstructed  his  vision  and  pre- 
vented him  taking  in  the  surrounding 
scenery,   while    the    ancient   one    glared 


f  !   i, 


^H 


I  ifii 


86 


ro  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


through   his    golden   glasses,    fascinated, 
snake-like,  by  the  voice  of  the  charmer. 

With  a  sort  of  mangling  movement  on 
the  part  of  these  tender-feet,  the  boat  was 
presently  induced  to  leave  the  eddy  and 
soon  shot  out  into  the  middle  of  the 
stream,  where  w.  watched  its  fate  from 
the  rocks  above.  Just  as  they  arrived  at 
the  first  plunge,  the  well-meaning  idiot 
in  the  stern  frantically  waved  his  paddle 
and  yelled, '  Klondyke  or  bust ;'  then  the 
paddle  was  swiftly  whipped  out  of  b's 
hands  and  he  fell  flat  on  his  nose  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat,  while  his  pallid  com- 
panions mechanically  described  circles  in 
the  air  in  an  impotent  manner,  and  thought 
hard  of  their  past  lives. 

With  no  helm  to  guide  her,  the  little 
craft  plunged  into  the  enormous  rollers  and 
turned  completely  round,  ther.  banged  up 
against  the  rock  wall  of  the  cafion  till  she 


ited, 

b  on 

was 

and 

the 

from 

;d  at 

Idiot 

ddle 

the 

b's 

the 

com- 

is  in 

ught 


IJ 


'•'   'l! 


little 
sand 
d  up 
1  she 


ft 


rssyr^n''^^"'^"?"'^^"^;*^ 


:;si^m"^pii"«w*^^ 


! 


ill 


'i    li 


II 


■-> 


8 


O 


QJ 


10 


to 

UJ 


HESITATION 


87 


cracked,  and  only  by  the  merciful  inter- 
position of  Providence  were  the  unfortun- 
ate occupants  eventually  picked  up  below 
in  a  thoroughly  scared  condition. 

Miles  Cafion  is  five-eighths  of  a  mile  in 
length,  one  hundred  feet  wide,  and  one 
hundred  feet  high.  Through  this  gorge 
the  whole  force  of  the  river  is  driven 
with  alarming  rapidity.  The  water  in 
the  centre  is  piled  up  four  feet  higher 
than  that  on  the  sides.  Time,  one  minute, 
forty-five  seconds. 

With  our  mast  unshipped,  a  close- 
reefed  stove-pipe,  and  everything  securely 
lashed  down,  our  boat  was  run  through 
the  next  morning  flying, — our  own  artist 
getting  a  snap-shot  at  her  from  the  rocks 
above. 

Then  came  a  mile  and  a  half  of  /ery 
rough  rapid  water,  thickly  studded  with 
rocks,  any  one  of  which  was  quite  sufficient 


1 


i. 


ft 


n 


A 


,  I 


ir  i 


I 


> ; 


ill 


if 


.   ! 


V 


88 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


to  upset  the  best  calculations.  But  luck 
was  with  us,  and  we  made  this  safely, 
towing  the  two  canoes,  which  I  had 
ordered  to  be  carried  over  the  cafion. 
Landing  on  the  west  bank,  we  thanked 
our  stars  and  lunched. 

The  noblest  Roman  of  them  all,  the 
fatal  *  White  Horse,'  was  still  ahead  of  us 
and  had  to  be  examined.  Another  mile 
and  a  half  of  white  caps  playing  leap-frog 
and  chasing  each  other  down  to  the  final 
plunge,  and  the  navigator  knows  his 
fate. 

I  took  my  steersman  along  and  walked 
down  to  take  a  look  at  this  picturesque 
spot.  On  the  way  there,  a  well-meaning 
old  fossil,  a  fellow-voyager,  shuffled  out 
of  his  tent  and  implored  me  not  to  attempt 
the  passage. 

*  Go  and  see  for  yourself,'  said  he, '  and 
then  you  will  never  try  to  run  it.     Only 


m 


^y^u 


ut  luck 
safely, 

I  had 
cafion. 

hanked 

ill,  the 
d  of  us 
iT  mile 
ap-frog 
e  final 
79    his 


I    M 


m 


nralked 
resque 
eaning 
sd  out 
ttempt 

,  ^and 
Only 


'    ■*  "W 

' '  ^  1 

■nw) 

'  ¥  h 

1  »■  J 

1      ;    ^•■,-   ~'S 

■'  v'l 

'      ,t'  '  il 

■•'  .at 

^^'"Pl 

'Ih 

enmaa 


Bssssa^fi 


I[ 


M 


•w. 


1/1 


uj 


uj 


to 
Q 

a: 


Uj 


in 


o 


g 


in 
II: 
o 
a: 

hi 
K 


Q 

q; 

Q 

uj 

3: 

K 

10 
Q 
OC 

o 

•=1: 

Uj 

o: 

K 
10 

2: 

o 

Q 
O 

o 
o 
-J 


HESITATION  89 

yesterday  two  poor  fellows  were  drownded. 
You  will  see  their  boat  on  the  rocks.' 

I  assured  the  old  gentleman  that  we  had 
no  thought  of  suicide. 

After  looking  over  the  situation  care- 
fully and  consulting  my  pilot,  we  con- 
cluded to  take  the  chances,  although  we 
discovered  that  no  boat  of  our  size  had 
been  down  that  spring.  But  I  had  two 
good  and  valid  reasons :  firstly,  we  had 
nearly  six  thousand  pounds  of  stuff  on 
board,  which  with  so  few  men  would  take 
a  week  or  more  to  pack  down  ;  secondly, 
it  would  be  all  over  in  two  minutes  one 
way  or  the  other,  and  I  really  believe 
drowning  is  preferable  to  packing.  Still, 
the  sight  of  a  good-sized  boat  split  fore 
and  aft  lying  on  the  rocks,  and  the  dark 
and  ominous  warnings  of  the  old  croaker 
aforesaid,  were  very  discouraging. 

The  '  White  Horse '  proper   is  a  very 


h'i 


'i  ■  :  , 


\i* 


'fi 


If 


I   \ 


^■^ 


90 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


n     i 


!  I 


narrow  part  of  the  river,  where  the  water 
fiercely  boils  and  plunges  through  at  a 
terrific  rate.  Big  combers  are  forced 
up  on  the  side  of  this  whirlpool,  and 
threaten  to  engulf  the  luckless  craft 
that  is  not  kept  pretty  straight  and  well- 
handled. 

I  tried  putting  a  log  through  this  chuos 
of  waters,  just  to  see  what  it  would  do, 
with  most  discouraging  results.  The  log 
sailed  gracefully  through  the  centre,  rid- 
ing serenely  over  the  heavy  swells  at 
about  forty  miles  an  hour,  and,  just  as  I 
had  concluded  it  was  all  safe  and  easy, 
my  log  suddenly  stood  up  straight  on  end, 
and,  looking  me  in  the  face,  plunged  out 
of  sight  into  some  subterranean  passage 
which  was  not  laid  down  on  the  chart, 
disappearing  for  ever. 

Of  course,  in  the  event  of  my  boat  tak- 


l!  J:. 


pvater 
at  a 

)rced 
and 

craft 

wrell- 

hiios 
do, 
slog 
rid- 
}   at 
as  I 
asy, 
md, 
out 
age 
art, 


I 


i:f   'M 


ak- 


i    ■. 

i 

i 

^i 

n 

Ill 


'J         ! 


^1 

1 

"I'P 

}". 

^^1 

j  f  1 

J 

••?)'fl 

'     r* 

I'^ftiiii'' 

m 

;  1 

m 

y 

Mi 

1 

t 

hi 

1 

Uj 
(/I 


UJ 


UJ 


uj 


HESITATION 


01 


(/I 
a: 
o 

Uj 


a: 


Q 

Q 
UJ 

a: 


ing  the   same    course,  the    public  would 
have  escaped  the  infliction  of  these  pages. 

At  two  p.m.,  the  Eva^  once  more  dismast- 
ed, and  everything  covered  with  tarpaulins, 
was  cut  loose,  and  at  2.02  or  thereabouts 
she  was  safely  moored  below  the  much 
respected  '  White  Horse.' 

It  was  soon  over — a  rapid  run  to  the 
brink,  a  couple  of  plunges,  a  ton  or  so  of 
water  on  deck,  a  blinding  smother  of 
foam — then  congratulations  and  a  horn 
of  rum  for  all  hands,  including  the 
cook. 


J    \' 


,  ''!  " 


J^, 


;.i! 


"f 


:■  :i 


93 


Hi 


I 


;';■ 


:.i'' 


i 


\f^\    ' 


liLi 


XVII 


ISOLATION 


The  four  poor  Scandinavian  navigators 
who  followed  us  so  religiously  to  the 
head  of  the  cafion  came  to  grief  on  the 
sunken  vocks  in  the  swift  water  below, 
and  when  last  we  saw  them  they  had  a 
leaky  boat  and  a  puzzled  expression  in 
several  different  languages. 

Our  Jack  of  all  trades  was  a  man  of 
vast  and  wonderful  resource.  He  could 
make  anything,  and  did  not  seem  to  require 
the  raw  material.     I  never   saw  his  like. 


Iff  '^1 


■ 


ISOLATION 


9» 


lie  could  make  a  fiddle,  and  play  it  too ;  a 
suit  of  clothes  or  a  pair  of  boots  were 
nothing  to  him.  He  was  a  veritable 
'  tinker,  tailor,  and  candlestick  maker '  all 
rolled  into  one. 

Besides  this,  he  could  build  a  boat  and 
steer  her  anywhere  in  bad  water.  He 
was  an  excellent  cook,  an  enthusiastic  and 
successful  fisherman,  and  an  all-round  first- 
class  hand}'  man. 

This  kind  of  man  is  bred  only  in  the 
backwoods  ox  Canada,  and  is  invaluable 
outside  of  civilization,  when  at  any  mo- 
ment an  emergency  may  occur  requiring 
abfl(»late  genius  to  overcome  a  difficulty. 

This  Jack  of  ours  was  garrulous,  and 
invariably  the  hero  of  his  own  stories, 
generally  *  chestnuts '  of  the  most  modern 
type.  He  was  addicted  to  patent  quack 
nostrums,  from  the  old  reliable  Pain  Killer 
down  to  the  latest  fad  in  pills,  but  parti- 


if 


n- 


iu 


■^\f 


m 


il-i 


m    f 


11 


Mi 
fir 


94 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


cularly  affected  Electric  Oil,  which  served 
him  as  .1  panacea  for  all  conceivable  ail- 
ments. He  had  a  good  stock  of  this  stuff, 
and  applied  it  upon  the  slightest  provoca- 
tion, externally  and  internally.  It  seemed 
to  me  to  be  equally  efficacious  for  a  head- 
ache or  corns. 

We  carried  an  ordinary  medicine  chest 
containing  the  usual  allopathic  remedies, 
which,  with  the  aid  of  a  *  Sea  Capt'  in's 
Guide,'  I  used  to  dispense  when  necessary. 

But  there  was  one  small  bottle  without 
a  lable  which  always  ^  jzzled  me.  It 
contained  a  bright  yeliow  concoction,  with 
no  directions.  However,  it  f?iscinated  our 
John,  and,  after  sampling  all  the  other 
horrors,  he  eventually  concluded  that  the 
corner  bottle  was  intended  for  some  in- 
ternal injury  which  he  immediately  pro- 
ceeded  to  develop,  soon    devouring   half 


ISOLATION  95 

the  contents  of  this  rauch-ne^lected  remedy, 
and  declaring  himself  cured  by  the  first 
dose :  it  subsequently  turned  out  to  be  a 
liniment  for  scalds. 

John's  peculiarities  were  numerous,  but 
his  good  qualities  and  accoirplishments 
'rere  perfectly  marvellous. 

We  were  now  drifting  down  the  Lewes 
River  to  Lake  Labarge,  and,  hearing  there 
were  large  fish  to  be  had,  our  John  pro- 
duced splendid  troll,  manufactured  out  of 
a  tin  can  in  ten  minutes,  with  which  he 
caught  salmon  trout  from  four  to  ten 
pounds  in  weight. 

The  little  block  at  our  topmast  head 
Wat  c '  r;^f  ^  away,  but  what  matter  ?  With 
a  sharp  Jn  k-knil^,  the  invaluable  John 
soon  whittled  out  another  one,  throusrh 
which  our  signal  halyards  worked  as  well 
as  ever. 


« -m 


};  ,, 


i  I;, 


^  1 


I ' 


MM 


mm'imJj 


96 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


.?  I 


We  were  becalmed  for  two  and  a  half 
days  in  Lake  Labarge,  which  is  thirty-one 
miles  long  and  from  five  to  ten  miles  wide, 
and  quite  capable  of  getting  up  an  angry 
sea  when  the  wind  blows.  I  had  to  seek 
the  seclusion  of  a  'Utle  rocky  harbour  on 
one  occasion  when  a  l  ,  ng  contrary  wind 
arose,  and  we  lay  there  all  one  day,  in 
company  with  two  other  boats  that  had 
been  driven  in  for  shelter. 

After  leaving  Lake  Labarge,  the  current 
in  the  river  is  decidedly  swift  for  thirty- 
two  miles,  and  there  are  many  rocks  to  be 
avoided,  if  possible;  but  the  water  is 
beautifully  clear  and  the  bottom  of  the 
river  distinctly  visible  all  the  way  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Hootalinqua  River — a  good- 
sized  stream,  said  to  be  navigable  for 
steamers  of  the  flat-bottomed  variety  all 
the  way  to  its  head  waters,  Teslin 
Lake. 


s 


•^ 


UJ 

o 


QQ 


Uj 


(fl 


CD 
O 


ui 


ui 


^! 


m^mi 


■n 


i' 


|N 

f.  ■   ' 

1-  ^  ' 

I] 

i     :■! 


ISOLATION 


97 


Steering  a  boat  from  Lake  Labarge 
down  this  thirty-two  miles  is,  to  say  the 
least,  quite  interesting — hard-a-starboard 
one  minute,  and  hard-a-port  the  next,  with 
many  a  big  jagged  black  rock  to  arrest 
your  further  progress  suddenly  if  you  do 
not  move  quickly. 

My  boat  was  strongly  built  of  two-inch 
plank  throughout,  with  several  pairs  of 
natural  knees  which  we  cut  out  of  the 
woods  at  Lake  Bennett,  and  plenty  of 
seven-inch  spikes. 

In  the  event  of  striking  a  rock,  I 
wanted  to  hurt  the  rock  most.  In  many 
places  the  current  is  running  fully  eight 
miles  an  hour ;  and  taking  an  average  of 
several  hundred  miles  by  the  chart,  I 
found  it  to  be  5.75  miles  per  hour.  This 
is  fast  enough  for  anybody,  especially  for 
those  folks  going  the  other  way. 

The  geologist  of  the   party,  who   was 

H 


If 


■    M 

■ '  % 


M 


h-*i 


■J 


i  ! 


I  ;    i 


i       I 


'    ill 

if' 


98 


TO  RLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


given  to  deep  mental  abstraction  and 
invariably  wore  a  confused  expression, 
requested  to  be  put  on  shore,  murmuring 
gently  some  unintelligible  remark  about 
the  pre-Adamite  glacial  period.  Our 
John  took  this  as  a  personal  insult,  be- 
lieving it  was  a  reflection  upon  his 
cooking :  he  had  attempted  pancakes  that 
morning  for  breakfast. 

The  geologist  wandered  aimlessly  along 
the  shore  and  disappeared  round  a  point, 
while  the  rest  of  us,  not  understanding 
the  first  principles  of  geology,  simply 
sawed  wood.  After  several  hours  had 
passed,  a  search  party  was  detailed  in  one 
of  the  canoes  to  go  and  discover  the 
scientist  or  bring  in  the  mangled  remains 
for  identification.  Breathlessly  I  awaited 
the  ret  ^rn  of  the  canoe,  fearing  the  worst, 
knowing  full    well  the    success    of   the 


ISOLATION 


99 


expedition  depended  largely  upon  the 
recovery  of  the  learned  geologist. 

The  sun  was  shining  hrightly  and  the 
air  was  balmy.  A  large  flat  rock, 
picturesquely  situated  on  the  river  edge, 
was  warm,  and  no  doubt  seemed  to  sug- 
gest the  correctness  of  the  ancient  glacial 
theory.  A  faint  snore  from  this  locality 
indicated  the  presence  of  the  missing 
savant,  who  had  fallen  asleep  while 
struggling  with  the  great  problems  of 
nature. 

There  were  some  unkind  enough  to 
remark  that  he  had  escaped  cutting 
wood. 

On  another  occasion,  our  only  botanist, 
anxious  to  secure  specimens  of  the  fauna 
of  the  country,  started  out  with  a  repeat- 
ing rifle,  and,  after  an  absence  of  many 
hours,  returned  empty-handed,  with  noth- 

h2 


i 


{,. 


!.' 


IS 


'  'i 


fiTT 


I 


wm 


100 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


ing  but  the  positive  assertion  that  there 
were  no  cariboo  to  be  found  and  nothing 
to  be  seen  but  a  measly  brown  bear  who 
was  too  thin  to  kill. 


••It 
'Iff  'i 


il 


t  t 


101 


XVIII 


OCCUPATION 


.11 


There  is  a  certain  fascination  and  a  bliss- 
ful feeling  of  independence  in  drifting 
down  a  large  river  with  a  swift  current. 
The  ever-changing  panorama  prevents 
monotony ;  and  the  discomfort  of  six  men 
in  a  boat  with  a  large  dog,  always 
in  everybody's  way  and  particularly  at 
meals,  is  soon  forgotten.  Our  sleeping  ac- 
commodation was  not  of  the  best,  and 
sometimes  it  was  dangerous  to  attempt 
it.    There  were  occasions  when   a  tired 


i    ■  1, 

1 

I 

1     '  ■■' 

'       '« 

'M 


TPr 


'^      I 


1' 


:1! 


I 


% 
it 


11  tf 


t ;  ■  ■ 


5  ,ii 

(  I' 


102 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


mariner,  attempting  to  snatch  the 
proverbial  forty  winks,  would  be  rudely 
awakened  by  somebody  walking  on  his 
face.  Sometimes  exhausted  nature  re- 
fused to  stand  it  any  longer,  and,  huddled 
up  in  the  after-part  of  the  boat,  out  of  the 
way  of  the  helmsman,  or  stretched  out 
face  downwards  on  our  little  forward  half 
deck,  we  would  fall  asleep  in  relays  j  when 
that  much-dreaded  sharp  rasping  sound, 
denoting  that  we  were  being  swept  swiftly 
over  a  bar,  soon  dispelled  our  dreams  of 
home  and  happiness,  and  made  us  sit  up 
and  think.  Then,  in  crooked  reaches  of 
the  river,  we  would  have  to  put  out  an  oar 
on  either  side  to  avoid  being  carried 
against  rocky  points  or  swept  into  false 
channels.  Mile  after  mile,  night  and  day, 
we  drifted,  rowed,  or  sailed  down  this 
great  water-way,  north,  alwajs  north,  on- 
ward to  the  golden  goal. 


OCCUPATION 


108 


The  '  Five-Fingers  Rapids  '  was  a  very 
tame  affair  after  the  *  White  Horse/  and 
was  soon  negotiated.  I  went  ashore  to 
take  a  look  at  this  piece  of  water,  and  was 
received  by  a  most  bloodthirsty  deputation 
headed  by  a  band,  which  drove  me  back 
to  the  boat  and  the  conclusion  that  death 
from  drowning  was  preferable  to  being 
eaten  alive.  So  I  did  not  examine  the 
water. 

Many  people  who  have  travelled  through 
unsettled  countries  have  died  in  the  firm 
belief  that  they  have  seen  mosquitoes, 
but  unless  they  have  visited  the  Yukon 
this  is  a  mistake.  It  was  reported  to  me 
that  we  should  probably  meet  cariboo, 
moose,  bear,  etc.,  but  the  mosquito  was 
the  only  wild  animal  encountered.  He  is 
of  the  sandy-haired,  long-legged  variety, 
with  a  Roman  nose  and  a  voracious 
appetite.      The    family    were     originally 


f'l 


»    / 


;*; 


t.  ' 


.'  I^- 


I  i 


m 


ti;]: 


rwr^i^wF 


I     ,K 


104 


TO  KLONDIKE  AND  BACK 


vegetarians,  until  they  were  converted 
by  the  arrival  f  the  oriental  tender-foot, 
which  they  now  prefer  to  any  other  dish. 
After  the  1st  of  June  they  are  met 
in  herds,  and  attack  on  sight  witho'at 
provocation. 


a 


ii  u 


id 

.t, 
1. 


it 


It 


105 


XIX 


! 


PALPITATION 

On   the   tenth    day  after    leaving   Lake 
Bennet,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
we  sighted  Fort  Selkirk,  the  old  historical 
ruins   of  a   Hudson's    Bay    post,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Lewes  an(^  Pelly  Rivers. 
A   register    kept    here    by    the    preser.- 
storekeeper    showed   thut  seven  hundred 
and    thirty-six   people  had    passed  down 
this  spring,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty 
had  been  seen  who  did  not  register. 
A  pause  of  a  couple  of  hours  was  all 


;!' 


'I 


i*i 


H» 


i^^^i"^w 


106 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


l;     li 


we  could  afford ;  a  few  purchases  of 
tobacco  and  other  luxuries,  and  we  were 
off  again  on  our  watery  highway,  the 
veritable  Yukon  River  at  last  in  all  its 
muddy  glory,  and  over  four  hundred 
miles  from  our  sailing-point. 

Another  hundred  miles  found  us  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Stewart  River,  which  being 
at  its  flood  poured  into  the  Yukon  at  a 
terrific  rate,  increasing  its  already  swollen 
appearance. 

A  few  miles  below  the  Stewart  a  boat 
was  sighted  containing  five  men,  who 
were  wearily  tracking  up  stream,  pulling, 
pushing,  and  shoving,  hanging  en  to  the 
perpendicular  walls  of  the  cliffs,  and 
working  like  demons.  They  did  not  take 
long  to  tell  us  their  secret.  A  new  dis- 
covery on  Ileaderson  Creek — only  a  few 
more  miles,  and  they  would  be  there. 
Gold  had  been  discovered  only  a  few  days 


El 

i  • 

II 

Pl 

ll 

:r 


1  ■ "  ^ 

'I;-:   M' 

'■    .       i       '  ■           ■    '  "' 

1:      ^* 
! 

■  ,ij 

if 

J 

;i 

■ 

1 

i  ii 

t 

i-  ■■ 

i 

f' 

1 

!^  1 

o 


UJ 


10 


PALPITATION 


107 


before,  sixty-five  claims  had  been  staked 
already,  and  three  hundred  men  were  com- 
ing up  over  the  mountains  from  Dawson. 
*  Why  not  turn  back?'  It  sounded  tempting. 
Meanwhile  we  were  drifting  past  them 
at  the  rate  of  eight  miles  an  hour,  and 
the  idea  did  not  seem  feasible.  Besides 
which,  these  stampedes  were  of  daily 
occurrence,  and  generally  resulted  in 
much  hard  work  and  disappointment.  I 
listened  as  they  shouted  the  news,  and 
drifted  on  in  search  of  some  corroboration 
of  their  report. 

That  afternoon  we  made  the  Sixty- 
Mile  post,  a  small  store  with  nothing  in 
it,  situated  on  an  island,  and  here  they 
told  us  again  of  the  wonderful  new  dis- 
covery. A  man  named  Henderson  had 
located  the  discovery  claim  a  few  days 
before,  and  of  course  '  there  was  millions 
lii  it. 


\i 


m 


:  ,■■  fl 


)l\ 


108 


TO  KLONDrKE  AND  BACK 


I  had  very  little  experience  of  these 
stampedes,  although  I  got  quite  used  to 
them  afterwards.  But  it  seemed  like  fly- 
ing in  the  face  of  Providence  not  take 
advantage  of  the  golden  opportunity ;  so  I 
hastily  fitted  out  a  canoe  with  a  couple  of 
weeks'  provisions,  and  despatched  two  men 
to  the  scene  of  the  recent  find,  with  in- 
structions to  locate  two  of  the  richest 
claims  immediately,  while  I  would  pro- 
ceed in  the  morning  to  the  much-longed- 
for  Dawson  City. 


.'  - 

„      '     ■            '■ 

1:1  :i 

if  ■  m| 

,  ■ 

liLfli 

n' 


.L^aJL..  IWm 


,,     * 


. 


q 

,^ 

m 

w 

m 

i 

1 

t 
f 

'l' 


%  1;  '!• 

i    ' 

'M    i 

;  ■ 

-V  ■>  ' 

■  i 

». 

■    f 

I  'i' 


m 

"' 

i 

-^  i  ii 

V 

':'      1 

1 

1. 

u 


in 


109 


.   ,1 


XX 


t  '  (" 


DISSIPATION 

At  4.30  p.m.  on  the  18th  of  June,  forty- 
one  days  from  Dyea,  estimated  distance 
five  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles,  the 
valley  of  the  Klondyke  hove  in  sight.  A 
long  line  of  boats,  all  sizes  and  shapes, 
strung  along  the  river  front,  told  us  that 
we  were  at  our  journey's  end  and  that 
Dawson  City  was  reached  at  last. 

A  perpetually  frozen  muskeg  is  the 
foundation  which  will  support  the  pro- 
posed  Dawson    City,     At   this   time   the 


,  i 


iai 


9' 


I  *i' 


'i  1] 


%' 


I   i 


•  > 


^  Is 


»fe{ 


m\ 

If 

u 

iff' 

110 


70  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


I  ' 


f   !  h 


*  City '  consisted  of  several  hundred  tents 
straggled  along  in  the  mud  for  about  a 
mile  and  a  half.  There  were  a  few  dance- 
houses  and  saloons,  also  a  saw-mill, 
picturesquely  situated  in  about  the  centre 
of  the  main  street.  The  two  rival  trading 
companies  were  rushing  up  stores  and 
warehouses ;  and  the  utmost  confusion, 
combined  with  the  most  villainous  odour, 
prevailed. 

In  the  midst  of  mud,  refuse,  roots, 
bushes  and  filth  of  all  kinds,  there  was  a 
swearing,  sweating  mob  of  reeking  human- 
ity— gamblers,  whisky  men,  and  adven- 
turers of  every  description,  an  occasional 
old-time  miner,  the  usual  sprinkling  of 
women,  Indians,  and  the  omnipresent 
dog. 

As  the  various  specimens  of  the  genus 

*  tender-foot '  arrived  in  the  midst  of 
this    charming    community,  they   would 


DISSIPATION 


111 


plaintively  enquire  wher*)  the  best  place 
was  to  look  for  gold. 

The  saloons  were  running  night  and 
day.  Almost  every  device  for  gambling 
was  in  full  blast,  and  nobody  seemed  to 
take  the  least  interest  in  anybody  else. 
The  worst  kind  of  American  whisky  could 
be  obtained  for  fifty  cents  a  drink.  Every- 
thing was  paid  for  in  dust :  there  was  no 
other  currency,  and  a  large  cautionary 
sign  was  displayed  in  all  the  gambling- 
rooms, — *  Don't  overplay  your  sack.'  Gold 
dust  representing  tens  of  thousands  of 
dollars  was  thrown  about  as  if  it  was  so 
much  oatmeal,  and  it  was  no  uncommon 
sight  to  see  a  couple  of  thousand  dollars 
staked  upon  the  turn  of  a  card. 

Withal  there  was  very  little  drunkenness, 
and  lawlessness  was  a  thing  unknown. 

At  night  the  dance-houses  were  always 
well  patronized,  and  the  charge  for  indulg 


■<• 


;  i 


'tl 


' 


112 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


ing  in  the  mazy  waltz  with  the  fair  but 
frail  patronesses  was  only  one  dollar,  of 
which  the  lady  received  twenty-five  per 
cent.  The  old-time  miner  is  usually 
anxious  to  distinguish  himself  by  dancing 
as  often  as  possible ;  but  when  there  was  a 
large  crowd  the  ladies  were  compelled  to 
distribute  their  favours  equally,  and  were 
never  monopolized  for  more  than  one 
dance  by  the  same  partner — quite  an 
innovation  on  the  methods  in  more 
civilized  society. 

Outside  the  busy  buzz  of  the  only  saw- 
mill, running  night  and  day,  mingled 
with  the  tramp  of  many  feet  churning  up 
the  black  muck,  made  confusion  worse 
confounded ;  while  the  intolerable  perpetu- 
al daylight  made  everything  seem  reversed, 
and  gave  the  poor  pilgrim  an  unutterable 
longing  for  home  and  civilization. 

The  possessor  of  a  good  claim  turning 


but 
•,of 
per 
lily 
in^ 
.8  a 
to 
are 
me 
an 
►re 

w- 
Jd 

'P 
je 

1- 

1, 

e 


f 


», 


,. 


"j; 


Ui 


« 


tn 


tt: 


o 


o 


M 


•^ 


a; 
ui 

ti 

i~. 

o 

>- 

u, 
o 

!«: 

s 

o 

CI 

o 
o 


2: 

o 

in 


DISSIPATION  113 

out  five  thousand  dollars  a  day  could  no 
doubt  put  up  with  this  sort  of  existence 
and  possibly  almost  enjoy  it ;  but  a  man 
with  human  instincts  had  but  one  desire, 
and  that  was  to  get  away  as  far  and  as 
fast  as  possible. 


t 


5 '  I  i" 


.^1 


I     !• 


■■'iji. 


J  [, 


lili 


m 

I!..  ;1  ' 


i' 


|i^3.     i  i     it 


ni' 


■ii 


lU' 


XXI 


PRIVATION 


I  SOON  discovered  that  Dawson  City  was 
not  the  sort  of  place  to  select  for  a  resi- 
dence, and  decided  upon  a  temporary- 
suburban  retreat. 

Half  a  mile  below  the  Metropolis  I  dis- 
covered a  spring  of  sparkling  cold  water, 
and  just  enough  flat  country  to  accom- 
modate a  tent  ten  by  ten ;  here  I  fetched 
up. 

Two  hundred  and  forty  hours  w'*^hout 
having  had  your  clothes  off   makes  you 


i 


li 


n 


Z 

o 
n 


u 


o 

-J 
Uj 
QQ 


n: 
o 

cv- 
o 
I 

K 


H 


I  M 


*  ■■ 


li'  i 


& 


'  'll  l'' 


1 


ll 


4* 

K 

1 

1 

V  m 


\i 


V 


llr 

{ 

' 

^- 

11 

, 

liu 

Mik 

PRIVATION 


116 


feel  like  really  going  to  bed.  The  thick 
matting  of  moss  was  inviting — the  softest 
couch  we  had  seen  since  leaving  the  Driard 
House,  Victoria,  two  months  before ;  and 
at  eleven  o'clock  that  night,  with  the  sun 
shining  brightly,  I  succumbed  to  nature's 
sweet  restorer.  But  alas  I  immediately 
below  the  mossy  cushion  the  hard  blue  ice 
soon  made  its  presence  felt,  producing  a 
cold  moisture  which  sent  an  icy  chill 
through  the  spinal  column  and  disturbed 
the  slumbers  of  the  weariest. 

Imagine,  if  you  can,  a  country  perpetu- 
ally frozen  and  carefully  carpeted  with 
moss  a  foot  or  more  in  thickness,  so  that 
the  sun's  vertical  rays,  however  strong 
during  the  short  summer,  3ould  never  hope 
to  penetrate.  A  mighty  river  bank  full, 
always  rushing  towards  the  Arctic,  whose 
muddy  waters  were  unfit  to  drink — a  scarc- 
ity of  almost  the  bare  necessities  of  life, 

I  2 


i  I 

':      1 


i 


0 
1? 


v;i« 


IJ'? 


I- 


M> 


r^ 


^mr 


mm 


^¥" 


MPPP 


J 'I 


■* 


.•'f 


*  t 


Utl:    if 


rj 


1*^ 


116 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


and  a  population  devoid  of  one  congenial 
soul  to  swap  ideas  with. 

The  utter  loneliness  and  unattractive- 
ness  of  this  desolate  gloomy  wilderness 
can  never  be  properly  described,  and  the 
hopelessness  of  accomplishing  any  useful 
object  became  daily  more  apparent.  Two 
steamers  belonging  to  the  two  great  trad- 
ing corporations  were  alongside  the  bank, 
and  they  were  the  only  means  we  had  of 
sending  to  the  outer  world  the  news  of  our 
safe  arrival. 

There  was  no  post-office  and  no  postage 
stamps,  and  we  were  at  the  mercy  of  the 
courtesy  and  the  honesty  of  the  steamboat 
pursers.  I  figured  that  my  letters  proba- 
bly went  to  San  Francisco  before  they  could 
be  mailed :  eighteen  hundred  miles  down 
the  Yukon  to  St.  Michael's,  three  thousand 
two  hundred  miles  to  San  Francisco,  and 
about   three   thousand    miles   across  the 


r'J 


10 

Uj 


o 


Uj 


Uj 


f 


V. 


L  PI. .  .BH..      ,   I  III  iiwmmFimmmmmmmmi 


i';     J 


PRIVATION 


117 


continent  to  Canada:  only  a  matter  of  eight 
thousand  miles.  This  melancholy  but  ac- 
curate calculation  made  me  feel  homesick. 

Provisions  at  Dawson  City  were  very 
scarce,  and,  althou^^h  not  actually  on  short 
rations,  we  had  to  depend  entirely  upon 
the  supplies  we  had  brought  in.  The  first 
boat  connecting  with  the  ocean  ships  was 
not  expected  till  July,  her  arrival  depend- 
ing principally  upon  the  movement  of  the 
ice-floes  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

The  creeks  tributary  to  the  Klondyke 
River  were  all  located,  and  there  were  no 
other  accessible  places  to  prospect,  even  if 
prospecting  had  been  practicable ;  which, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  not  during  the 
summer,  as  th-"  surface  water  prevents  the 
prospector  from  reaching  bed-rock,  and,  as 
this  is  the  spot  it  is  necessary  to  strike, 
very  little  prospecting  is  attempted  during 
the  summer  season. 


H' 


%i 


I     ' 


•i^ 


:.'! 


I. 


>  h 


f 


i  .'. 


; 


Uf^Y 


T^ 


flip 


n" 


118 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


The  thermometer  stood  at  ninety  six  in 
what  it  was  pleased  to  call  the  shade,  and 
yet  venerable  blue  ice  could  be  found 
six  inches  under  the  moss.  Millions  of 
voracious  mosquitoes  came  to  board  with 
us,  and  soon  the  aggravating  though  in- 
visible Yukon  gnat  made  his  unwelcome 
appearance.  The  Henderson  Creek  stam- 
pede returned  with  a  report  that  it  was 
a  *fake';  my  two  prospectors,  having 
abandoned  their  canoe,  had  wearily 
tramped  up  the  creek  many  miles,  with 
pack  on  their  backs,  to  find  nothing,  and 
were  finally  driven  out  by  bush  fires, 
which  made  it  altogether  too  hot  even  for 
them. 

Out  of  a  hundred  men  who  located 
claims  on  this  creek,  only  one  thought  it 
worth  while  recording ;  and  yet  some  day, 
when  prospecting  is  made  easier  and 
transportation  facilities  are  improved,  this 


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PRIVATION 


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much-abused  creek  may  perhaps  turn  out 
rich. 

I  concluded,  while  waiting  for  further 
supplies  and  developments,  to  provide  my 
little  crew  with  exercise  by  building  a 
cabin,  and,  having  discovered  about  one 
hundred  trees  in  the  immediate  vicinity, 
large  enough  for  house-logs,  we  commenced 
operations. 

How  we  did  work  I  Trees  had  to  be 
felled,  as  men  say  in  England,  and  rolled 
or  pulled  down  to  the  site  of  the  cabin, 
while  all  the  time  the  merry  mosquito 
was  making  himself  unpopular  and  dis- 
turbing the  calculations  of  the  architect. 

The  day's  work  over,  it  was  the  correct 
thing  to  go  uptown  and  see  what  was 
going  on  ;  but  there  is  a  certain  same- 
ness about  drinking  and  gambling  which 
eventually  becomes  monotonously  expen- 
sive and  fails  to  produce  any  excitement. 


f     H': 


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120 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


I  generally  preferred  solitude,  and  seldom 
left  the  camp. 

About  the  only  excitement  I  had  worth 
recording  Avas  a  terrific  thunder-storm. 
Up  in  these  latitudes  the  lightning  seems 
to  be  more  vivid  and  tne  thunder  louder 
and  more  o^  it.  The  wind  blew  a  hurri- 
cane and  shifted  all  round  the  compass 
many  times  during  the  night,  the  trees 
round  the  camp  were  bent  like  whips,  and 
the  water  in  the  river  was  lashed  into 
foam.  The  rain  came  down  in  torrents, 
and  made  platters  more  interesting  by 
loosening  some  rocks  on  the  mountain- 
side, which  came  roaring  down  behind 
the  camp. 

This  M';is  abou";  the  break-up  of  the 
summer,  or  at  any  rate  the  hot  Aveather, 
which,  I  figurfid,  lasted  thirty  days.  It 
went  out  with  fireworks,  and  ended  in  a 
bank ! 


.Ik 


PRIVATION 


m 


A  few  days  after  this  violent  storm, 
while  I  was  sitting  alone,  building  castles 
in  the  air  and  writing  letters  home  which 
I  knew  I  could  never  post,  a  crackling  in 
the  bush  announced  the  arrival  of  a 
stranger.  He  was  a  typical  prospector,  a 
big,  good-looking,  good-natured  giant,  a 
regular  Gabriel  Conroy.  After  bidding 
me  good-evening  and  enquiring  if  I  was 
the  boss,  he  proceeded  to  unbosom  himself 
at  once. 

'  Pardner,  you  ain't  afraid  of  ghosts,  be 
yer?' 

As  it  is  considered  infra  dig.  in  that 
country  to  acknowledge  being  afraid  of 
anything,  I  assured  him  that  I  was  the 
proud  possessor  of  unlimited  courage, 
and  had  more  nerve  than  I  could  con- 
veniently pack. 

'  Well,'  said  he,  '  pardner,  I've  brought 
a  dead  man  down  here,  got  him  in  a  boat. 


ji 


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122 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


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I've  tied  him  up  under  them  bushes. 
You  won't  mind  if  I  leave  bW  there  for 
a  while,  will  yer  ?' 

I  ass-ured  him  that  any  friend  of  his 
was  rao«t  welcome,  dead  or  alive,  but 
ventured  to  suggest  that,  as  the  weather 
was  still  warm,  perhaps  a  funeral  might 
be  advisable. 

'  Oh,  you  needn't  be  the  least  mite 
skeered.  He'll  keep  all  right.  Why,  he's 
guaranteered  for  thirty  days.' 

And  then  he  told  me  the  particulars 
of  the  tragedy.  The  deceased  and  my 
visitor  were,  as  he  remarked,  '  sort  of  side- 
partners/  and  were  prospecting  away 
up  the  Eldorado  gulch.  On  the  night  of 
the  big  storm  they  were  sleeping  iogether 
under  a  sort  of  makeshift  tent,  when  a 
tree  was  blown  down  and  killed  the 
young  man  instantly,  smasUng  in  his 
skull.     There  was  no  one  ehe  near,  and, 


I,  ,1 


PRIVATION 


123 


after  cutting  away  the  top  of  the  tree  and 
discovering  that  his  '  side-partner '  had 
done  with  prospecting  in  this  world  for 
ever,  my  friend  started  off  in  search  of 
help,  and  they  actually  packed  the  body 
twenty-five  miles  on  their  backs  down  to 
Dawson. 

'  I  had  him  in  the  company's  ware- 
house,' he  said,  simply,  '  till  yesterday, 
but  um:  captain  told  me  I  had  to  take  him 
away,  and  the  or-thorities  won't  allow  me 
to  keep  him  in  town.' 

I  again  suggested  a  funeral,  when 
Gabriel  looked  serious  and  explained 
his  reason  for  delaying  the  final  opera- 
tion. 

It  seemed  that  the  dead  man  had  a 
brother,  who  was  prospecting  away  up 
another  gulch,  and  he  had  been  sent  for, 
as  they  thought  it  was  only  right  that  he 
should   be  the  chief  mourner.     So  they 


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IM 


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TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


decided  to  keep  the  late-lamented  above 
-round  till  the  arrival  of  his  brother. 
With  this  end  in  view,  they  had,  with  the 
aid  of  a  tin-smith  and  many  soldering- 
irons,  managed  to  can  the  unfortunate 
victim  in  a  sort  of  home-made  casket,  so 
that  he  would  keep. 

And  there  he  lay  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  covered  with  a  heap  of  pine-boughs, 
moored  to  the  bank, — a  quiet,  well- 
behaved,  and,  at  present,  inofFenswe 
neighbour. 

'  Good-night,  pardner,'  said  Gabriel ; 
and  then,  looking  over  his  shoulder, 
'Keep  an  eye  on  him,  will  yer?  Yer 
see,  the  boys  might  take  it  into  their 
heads  to  play  a  josh  on  me,  and  come  down 
and  cut  the  line  and  let  him  go.' 

But  they  did  not,  and  every  morning 
Gabe  would  come  down  to  take  a  look  at 
his  silent  friend,  till  at  last,  after  about  a 


PRIVATION 


125 


week,  he  came  one  day  and  proudly  an- 
nounced the  brother  had  arrived,  and  the 
funeral  was  ordered  for  two  o'clock  that 
afternoon. 

The  ordinary  miner  dearly  loves  a 
funeral.  To  him  it  is  an  event  not  to  be 
neglectc  1.  It  is  announced  by  crude 
notices  posted  on  trees  in  conspicuous 
places,  and  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion 
is  highly  appreciated  and  most  impressive. 
The  virtues  of  the  deceased  are  generally 
discussed,  and  his  many  good  qualities 
often  exao^orerated. 

CO 

The  lasb  day  that  Gabriel  arrived  to 
announce  the  funeral  arrangeraenits,  he 
presented  me  with  a  formal  invitation  to 
be  present  at  the  obsequies,  which,  how- 
ever, I  was  unable  to  accept.  He  then 
made  the  suggestion  that  I  should  send  a 
couple  of  men  in  canoes  to  follow  the 
boat    containing    the    corpse,    remarking 


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TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


with  pathetic  innocence  and  tears  in  his 
big  blue  eyes,  *  I  think,  boss,  that  would 
make  a  nice  little  /?ercession-like,  and  give 
him  a  decent  sort  of  send-off,  don't  you  ?' 

The  natural  born  prospector,  i.e.,  the 
genuine  article,  is  the  most  hopeful  and 
the  most  confident  creature  in  the 
universe:  failure  to  him  simply  whets 
his  appetite — success  merely  encourages 
him  to  seek  fresh  fields — the  most  ap- 
palling obstacles  rather  increase  his  desire 
to  penetrate  the  inaccessible  and  possibly 
discover  the  hiding-place  of  the  precious 
metal. 

Inured  to  hardships  all  his  life,  and 
anticipating  nothing  better,  he  religiously 
pursues  the  undulating  vagaries  of  his 
adopted  calling,  without  a  murmur. 

Theories  born  of  long  experience  are 
constantly     exploded,    which    makes    no 


PRIVATION 


127 


difference  to  him :  he  patiently  plods 
along,  working  hard  to  discover  the  great 
secrets  of  nature,  living  a  hard  life,  and 
often  dying  a  hard  death,  'unwept,  un- 
honoured,  and  unsung.' 

Once  I  asked  Gabriel  how  it  was  that, 
having  prospected  all  over  the  continent, 
he  had  never  become  rich.  He  quickly 
assured  me  that  once  he  discovered  a 
mine  in  Colorado,  and  sold  her  for  forty- 
seven  thousand  dollars  cash.  I  naturally 
wondered  why  he  did  not  keep  this 
amount  and  retire  ;  to  which  he  replied, 

*  Wall,  boss,  I  jest  tell  yer  how  it  is  with 
us  prospectors.  The  time  I  sold  thet  mine 
and  got  all  thet  money,  I  thought  I  was 
a  big  son  of  a  gun,  but  I  wanted  to  be  a 

great  big  son  of  a  gun ;  2,0  I  took 

thet  money,  and  blowed  it  all  in  on  a 
quartz  lode  in  Idaho  which  warn't  worth  a 
cuss :  so  I  lose  the  whole  pile,' 


!  1 


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A' 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 

The  last  I  saw  of  him,  he  was  working 
for  wages  on  Bonanza  Creek,  trying  to 
secure  a  '  grub-stake,'  which  meant  an- 
other excursion  into  the  interior. 


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xxri 


m 


\ ,' 


EMIGRATION 

The  most  feverish  excitement  prevailed 
now  in  Dawson.  Stampedes  to  various 
improbable  creeks  were  of  hourly  occur- 
rence, and  I  have  seen  a  long  line  of 
men  with  fifty-pound  packs  on  their 
backs  cautiously  sneaking  off  at  midnight 
to  climb  the  hills  on  a  wild-goose  chase. 

I  knew  one  poor  little  plump  attorney 
from  some  backwoods  American  hamlet, 
who  followed  a  stampede  for  nearly 
fifty   miles,  rigged    out   in    a  long-tailed 

K 


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180 


rO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


black  coat,  paper  collar,  and  the  thinnest 
of  thin  boots,  over  hills  and  through 
swamps,  gradually  but  surely  getting 
behind,  till  he  met  the  vanguard  return- 
ing unsuccessful  and  discouraged,  also 
well  fly-bitten.  The  lawyer  turned 
back,  perfectly  well  satisfied  with  his 
experience. 

At  last,  on  the  25th  of  July,  the  long- 
looked-for  steamboat  arrived,  twenty-one 
days  out  from  St.  Michael's,  the  first 
messenger  from  the  sea  and  the  outside 
world.  She  had  one  hundred  passengers 
and  some  real  potatoes. 

The  fleet  on  the  Yukon  River  at  this 
time  consisted  of  the  Partus  B.  Weare^  J, 
J.  Healy  and  C.  J.  Hamilton^  belonging  to 
the  North  American  Transportation  Com- 
pany, while  the  Alaska  Commercial 
Company    owned    the   Alice^    Billa^    and 


EMIGRATION 


181 


Marguerite  —  all  flat-bottomed,  stern- 
wheelers,  and  with  a  totally  inadequte 
capacity  to  supply  the  multitude  daily 
arriving  at  Dawson  City.  They  sel- 
dom made  more  than  two  round  trips 
in  a  season,  and  sometimes  only  one. 
Their  cargoes  were  not  always  selected 
with  a  view  to  relieving  the  pangs  of  the 
hungry  miners :  in  fact,  I  heard  of  one 
vessel  said  to  be  loaded  with  whisky  and 
billiard  balls,  not  a  very  nourishing  sort  of 
diet.  However,  time  changes  most  things, 
and  I  believe  both  companies  have  since 
built  several  new  steamers ;  besides  which, 
there  will  be  innumerable  others,  belonging 
to  private  concerns  and  English  trading 
companies. 

Having  paid  a  flying  visit  to  the  richest 
of  the  now  celebrated  gulches,  I  decided 
to  emigrate  by  the  first  returning  steamer. 

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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  V.ES1  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER, NY.  US80 

(716)  872-4503 


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TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


Bonanza  Creek  is  most  disappointing 
from  an  artistic  point  of  view.  A 
small,  brown-coloured  stream  'meandering 
through  a  narrow  valley  of  muskeg,  the 
hills  on  either  side  covered  with  a  stunted 
growth  of  spruce,  it  certainly  .did  not 
seem  a  very  inviting  place  to  look  for 
gold.  But,  twenty  or  thirty  feet  beneath 
this  frozen  black  muck,  millions  of  dollars 
have  been  calmly  resting  on  the  bed-rock 
for  countless  ages.  It  struck  me  that  gold 
was  always  hidden  in  the  most  remote 
and  impossible  places,  no  doubt  to  pre- 
vent its  discovery;  but  this  Klondyke 
gold  went  one  better,  and,  not  content 
with  being  in  an  almost  inaccessible 
country,  after  burying  itself  in  the  most 
unlikely-looking  ground,  it  arranged  for 
a  perpetual  frost.  And  yet,  in  spite  of 
all  these  difficulties,  it  has  been  discov- 
ered, washed  and   dressed,  then   trotted 


wmmmmm^'m 


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EMIGRATION  188 

off  to  the  San  Francisco  mint,  to  be  trans- 
formed into  those  great  big  beautiful 
shining  eagles. 


I 


f#i 


m 


'  W 


I! 


m 


1 ' 

XXIII 


EMBARKATION 


On  the  evening  of  the  26th  of  July,  hav- 
ing said  farewell  to  my  late  companions 
in  misery,  I  went  on  board  the  steamer 
Partus  B.  Weare,  and,  as  we  steamed  away 
amidst  the  plaudits  of  the  assembled 
multitude,  I  felt  that  I  had  at  last  taken  a 
step  in  the  right  direction.  True,  there 
were  one  thousand  eight  hundred  long 
watery  miles  to  be  traversed  before  we 
reached  St.  Michael's,  with  a  hazy  possi- 
bility of  finding  a  ship  there  to  transport 


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i»! 


EMBARKATION 


186 


US  two  thousand  four  hundred  miles  to 
some  civilised  port.  But  what  matter? 
We  were  once  more  bound  for  the  outside 
world,  for  the  land  of  newspapers,  rail- 
roads, and  telegraphs,  where  we  could 
exchange  ideas  with  civilised  nations 
and  get  something  decent  to  eat  and 
drink. 

I  had  not  accomplished  the  original 
object  of  the  expedition,  which  had  turned 
out  to  be  impracticable;  still  I  had  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  interests  in  som3  good 
claims,  and  left  my  men  to  look  after 
them  during  the  long  Arctic  winter. 

The  Portus  B  Weave  was  not  the  most 
comfortable  boat  in  the  world,  and  she 
carried  many  more  passengers  than  she 
could  possibly  accommodate ;  but  we  were 
bound  home  and  could  put  up  with  any- 
thing for  six  or  seven  days,  which  is  the 
ordinary  duration  of  a  passage. 


I   '! 


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186 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


I  remember  the  first  night  out.  Having 
secured  an  upper  berth,  I  was  only  just 
comfortably  asleep  when  the  whole  con- 
cern came  down  with  a  crash  on  top  of 
two  returning  miners,  wounding  one  of 
them  and  nearly  scaring  the  life  out  of 
the  other.  I  picked  myself  up  out  of  the 
dShris^  and  subsequently  slept  on  the  floor. 
We  found  in  the  morning  that  the  berth 
was  of  a  very  flimsy  construction,  and  we 
had  to  rebuild  it. 

Fort  Cudahy,  or  Forty  Mile,  was  passed 
early  that  night.  The  place  was  abso- 
lutely deserted.  And  the  following  night 
we  arrived  at  Circle  City,  which  was  also 
pretty  well  depopulated. 

Precisely  at  midnight,  some  thirty  miles 
below  Circle  City,  we  struck  on  a  sand-bar. 
This  wag  the  27th  of  July. 


187 


^\ 


■  I     :       I 


XXIV 


♦•0 

■i 


Mi 


,,?fi 
f  1,. 


INDIGNATION 


,Hf^ 


The  Yukon  River,  where  it  runs  throu<yh 
what  is  called  the  flats,  is  supposed  to  be 
thirty  miles  wide  for  a  distance  of  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles ;  and  this  is 
where  we  were  stranded. 

The  Transportation  Companies  are  en- 
tirely dependent  upon  Indian  pilots, 
natives  of  difl'erent  sections  of  the  river  : 
it  takes  a  good  many  of  these  gentlemen 
to  pilot  a  boat  down  the  whole  length 
thereof. 


i.'t 


Wi 


188 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


il 


The  emancipated  Indian  pilot,  with  his 
hair  cut  short  and  a  pair  of  high-heeled 
boots  on  his  feet,  is  one  of  the  most  con- 
temptible creatures  imaginable.  Presum- 
ing upon  his  superior  local  knowledge,  he 
looks  proudly  down  from  his  elevated 
pilot-house  position  and  despises  his  white 
employer,  for  whom  he  has  a  thorough 
contempt.  White  pilots  being  unobtain- 
able, this  aboriginal  abomination  is  gener- 
ally petted  and  pampered  until  he  is  almost 
unendurable.  He  is  the  laurel-crowned 
hero  of  his  own  particular  wigwam,  wears 
the  best  clothes  to  be  had  for  money, 
deserts  the  boat  when  he  feels  inclined,  or 
piles  her  up  high  and  dry  for  amusement 
at  the  dictates  of  his  own  sweet  wayward 
fancy. 

We  had  at  the  wheel  a  lovely  specimen  of 
this  educated  idiot,  who  was  responsible  for 


'^ 


INDIGNATION 


ISD 


our  disaster,  detention,  ad  destruction. 

The  Partus  B.  Weave  was  not  a  pas- 
senger boat ;  it  was  ill  fitted,  inadequately 
manned,  and  poorly  provisioned.  As  the 
facetious  were  wont  to  observe,  'of  the 
Portus  Beware.* 

About  seventy-five  souls,  consisting  if 
men,  won'^ii,  and  even  little  children, 
were  on  board,  and  destined  to  remain, 
stranded  in  two  feet  of  water — the 
prospect  far  from  inviting.  The  old  ex- 
perienced Yukoner,  accustomed  to  reverses 
of  every  kind,  took  it  philosophically; 
while  others  of  us,  who  had  business  else- 
where, chafed  and  fretted  as  the  hours 
passed  by  without  any  hope  of  the  boat 
getting  off. 

I  remember  the  indignation  of  many 
passengers  when  the  first  eighteen  hours 
had  passed  and  we  were  still  immovable. 


i 


ii 


n! 


■:t 


f 


!  I 


i» 


i 


I 


\ 


Iftt 


vl 


V    i 


li 


i  j 


It 


I  ' 


I    ■ 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 

It  was  fortunate  we  could  not  see  into  the 
future  and  know  that  we  had  to  remain  on 
that  awful  boat  for  eighteen  lon^  weary 
days  and  nights. 

The  usual  passage  for  these  boats  dowu 
stream  is  about  six  days,  and,  as  they  do 
not  provide  against  accidents  of  this  sort, 
we  soon  experienced  what  it  was  to  be 
short  of  pro  visions.  The  menu  was  not 
elaborate  when  we  started,  and  after  being 
out  fourteen  days  it  was  soon  reduced. 

The  waiters  in  the  alleged  saloon  were 
the  ungroomed  children  of  the  forest,  a 
careless,  happy  lot,  who  threw  plates  at 
themselves  and  the  passengers,  chattered 
continuously,  and  tumbled  over  each  other 
in  their  wild  haste  to  bring  you  what  you 
did  not  want. 

The  weather  was  hot,  and  the  unfiltered 
water  unfit   to  drink.      We  became  like 


I^DIGA'ATION  141 

caged  wild  beasts,  walking  up  and  down 
and  simply  glaring  at  each  other,  some- 
times stopping  to  curse  the  company  for 
its  bad  management. 

The  captain,  a  little  wooden-headed 
Scandinavian,  tried  several  devices  to  spar 
the  boat  off,  but  only  succeeded  in  getting 
her  further  on  the  bar ;  and  all  this  time  the 
water  was  slowly  but  surely  falling,  till, 
after  breaking  all  the  tackle  we  had,  the 
Indian  crow  were  formed  into  a  shovel 
brigade  and  proceeded  to  dig  the  boat 
out. 

There  were  about  forty  of  them,  and  I 
often  used  to  lean  over  the  rail  and  watch 
the  dusky  warriors  digging  up  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  sand  to  one  gallon  of  water. 
They  would  stand  in  a  long  line,  knee- 
deep  in  water,  always  chattering  to  each 
other,   and   when    one    paused    to   light 


I 


I  ■'■i 


'  i 


•   I 


•i '  > 


] 

I 

-  'if 

1 

f 

m 

t 

,          .«.           : 

,i 

:! 

a 

■I 

1 

1                 ■            f 

142 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


V  I. 


his  pipe  all  the   rest   promptly  stopped. 

Having  nothing  better  to  do,  I  made  a 
close  mathematical  calculation  that,  at  the 
rate  these  copper-coloured  loafers  were 
going,  it  would  take  them  seven  years, 
four  months,  nine  days,  two  hours,  and 
thirty-six  minutes  to  dig  a  canal  suffici- 
ently deep  to  float  the  boat.  A  further 
calculation  showed  that,  given  two 
months'  time  to  excavate  the  vessel  by 
the  same  methods,  so  that  we  might  get 
away  before  navigation  closed,  it  would 
require  389,734  aborigines  to  accomplish 
the  work  in  that  time. 

This  seemed  very  appalling  at  first, 
and  I  feared  there  might  be  some  mistake ; 
but  I  carefully  checked  over  the  figures, 
and  found  them  correct. 

I  thought  it  my  duty  to  tell  the  captain 
about  this,  but  he  said  if  the  river  rose 


;  ^  k 


INDIGNATION 


143 


about  two  feet  it  would  knock   all  my 
calculations  endways. 

We  had  now  been  so  long  on  this  gravel 
bar  that  we  had  a  sort  of  residential,  re- 
signed expression   of  countenance.     We 
seemed  to  feel  that  we  belonged   there, 
and  were  very  jealous  of  our  rights.     In 
discussing  the  dangers  of  navigation,  one 
pessimistic  individual  advanced  the  theor}' 
that  any  other  steamer  passing  through 
that  channel  would  likely  strike  on  our 
bar.      This    idea   was    fiercely  resented. 
We  were  there  first,  and  we  would  like  to 
see  the  steamboat  that  could  take  any  of 
our  bar  from  us.     Little  babies  that  were 
carried  on  board  by  their  mothers  could 
now   be   seen   walking  about  the   decks 
alone;    and   elderly  men   began   picking 
out  green  spots  on  the  shore  for  cemetery 
purposes. 


.*|'f 


•  1*1 


.,1 


Ki 


i  :>. 


I      If 


if 


I  ''        I* 
11'       ' 


i 


i 

ii   ■ 
1! 


1 


Ml  ^; 


!l 


ififii 


144 


rO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


We  were  utterly  helpless,  and  could 
only  wait  for  assistance  to  arrive  from 
somewhere. 

Our  ship's  boat  used  to  go  off  for  wood 
every  day,  and  the  engines  were  often 
kept  turning  to  stir  up  the  sand,  so  that 
we  would  not  settle  down  there  too  per- 
manently. 

One  night  we  discovered  that  eight  or 
ten  of  our  Indian  crew  had  deserted,  hav- 
ing surreptitiouslj'  made  a  raft  while  on 
shore  and  sneaked  off  down  stream  to- 
wards Fort  Yukon.  This  seemed  like  the 
rats  deserting  i\  sinking  ship,  and  was 
most  discouraging. 

At  last  our  anxiety  was  relieved  by 
frantic  cries  of  *  Steamboat !'  and  a  long 
line  of  black  smoke  down  stream  soon 
told  uc  that  the  Healy  was  on  her  way 
up ;  and  in  a  couple  of  hours  she  was 
abreast  of  us,  tied   up   on   the   opposite 


z 
o 


UJ 


z 

X 
o 

oc 

UJ 

S 

UJ 
in 


'■V 

Hi 


.  ■f.\\ 

f'" 
Ml 


rri> 


ii 


;.f 


I. ,  i 


mr 


\ 


\w 


i 


il 


H 


U 


hi 


r. 


m 


If  W  H 


■\l    e 


INDIGNATION  145 

bank.  Our  excitement  and  joy  was  in- 
tense, but  very  short-lived.  After  answer- 
ing our  signals  of  distress  and  holding  a 
confidential  conference  with  the  authori- 
ties on  board  our  stranded  ship,  the 
ffealy's  lifeboat  shoved  off,  and  shortly 
afterwards  the  steamer  slowly  steamed 
off  towards  Circle  City.  I  find  in  my 
diary  this  short  remark  : 

'  Sent  a  fresh  captain  and  some  rotten 
eggs,  then  proceeded  at  nine  p.m.  Wish 
it  had  been  reversed.' 

The  excitement  was  all  over.  We  be- 
seeched  them  to  unload  the  ffealy  and 
take  us  down  to  St.  Michael's,  but  all  in 
vain.  One  valiant  sportsman  intimidated 
the  little  president  of  this  big  corporation 
(who  was  on  board),  and  demanded  the 
return  of  his  passage  money  and  a  free 
pass  back  to  Dawson,  which  was  given 
him. 

L 


ti 


i 

m 


I  i  > 


\  :  11 


"^ 


U  ;   . 


1 

( 


I 


146  rO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  indignation 
and  a  strong  feeling  against  the  company 
for  getting  us  into  this  scrape  and  making 
no  effort  to  get  us  out  of  it.  We  knew 
now  that  we  must  miss  the  ocean  ship. 
The  Healy  had  to  go  up  to  Dawson  City 
and  return, — another  week  at  least. 

This  was  most  trying,  but  had  to  be 
endured.  Our  wretched  boat  was  getting 
to  be  most  unsanitary ;  the  food  was  poor 
and  abominably  served  ;  the  weather  was 
hot,  and  we  were  all  more  or  less  con- 
sumed with  a  feeling  of  having  been 
duped,  especially  after  paying  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  passage  money. 

The  digging  brigade  was  still  operating 
daily.  The  new  captain,  a  long  lean  son 
<  f  the  South,  who  invariably  wore  gum 
boots  and  a  sour  expression,  had  the 
reputation  of  having  dug  out  more  boats 


INDIGNATION 


147 


on  the  Missouri  than  any  other  man  in 
the  world.  The  middle-aged  passengers 
regretted    that    they  could    not    hope  to 


see  him  dig  out  this  one. 


'»' 


M 


\'l 


.    fc 


l2 


h 


ran 


lid 


XXV 


JUBILATION 


At  last,  at  midday  on  the  13th  of  August, 
the  man  with  the  field-glass  made  out  the 
J.  J.  Heali/ coming  down.  No  one  believed 
him,  as  he  was  always  seeing  things,  and 
the  pessimistic  passenger  remarked  *  that 
it  was  impossible  for  the  Healy  to  return 
in  that  time  ;  and  even  if  it  should  be  a 
steamboat,  it  wouldn't  be  the  Healy  \ 
furthermore,'  he  remarked,  '  that  ever,  if  it 
was  the  Healy^  he  wouldn't  mind  ventur- 
ing a  trifle  that  she  would  never  get 
here.' 


JUBILATION 


149 


Meanwhile,  the  smoke  grew  plainer. 
We  climbed  to  the  roof  of  the  pilot-house, 
and  soon  recognized  the  well-known  double 
smoke  stacks,  and  in  another  half  hour  we 
received  her  with  a  sullen  roar  of  satis- 
faction. 

There  was  an  intense  feeling  of  relief, 
and  everybody  excitedly  packed  up,  ready 
to  abandon  the  wretched  old  water  waggon 
that  had  been  our  home  for  so  many  un- 
comfortable days. 

The  kodak  fiend  took  a  farewell  snap  at 
her  as  we  pulled  away,  and  we  were  soon 
on  board  the  Healy^  and,  if  not  moving,  at 
least  afloat  once  more. 

Something  wrong  with  the  machinery 
detained  us  another  day  ;  but  on  Sunday, 
the  16th,  we  actually  got  away,  and  once 
more  swept  majestically  round  the  bend 
into  the  swift  current,  at  not  less  than 
fifteen  miles  an  hour. 


f 


Hi 


*M 


I  I 


I'S 


1  i»^ 


16U 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


How  ^ood  it  seemed  to  be  moving  again, 
and  on  board  a  fairly  cojnfortable  boat, 
compared  to  what  we  had  endured  I 

The  days  were  now  getting  much  shorter, 
and  we  were  compelled  to  tie  up  every 
night.  Our  captain  was  u  cautious  man, 
and  took  no  chances.  He  kept  the  lead 
going  continuously  in  suspicious-looking 
water,  and  visited  every  wood  pile  in  the 
country  for  fear  of  running  out  of  fuel. 

The  lower  Yukon  is  not  an  interesting 
river.  It  is  plentifully  besprinkled  with 
missions  and  missionaries  of  every  known 
persuasion.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  room 
for  another  missionary  of  any  kind.  The 
otherwise  neglected  irihabitants  submit 
patiently  to  the  comforting  consolations  of 
the  Church,  with  an  occasional  square 
meal,  and  it  does  not  seem  to  do  them  as 
much  harm  as  one  might  expect.  There 
are   Greeks,  Russians,   Roman  Catholics, 


JUBILATION 


\h\ 


Presbyterians,  Episcopalians,  Methodists, 
and  Conf^regationalists  for  the  benighted 
children  of  nature  to  chose  from.  The 
crops  may  fail,  and  it  may  be  a  poor  year 
for  hunting,  but  lie  is  never  stuck  for 
spiritual  advice. 

So  much  competition  for  the  privilege 
of  saving  his  soul  undoubtedly  puzzles  the 
aborigine  occasionally,  and  he  must  find  i\. 
difficult  to  select  a  religion. 

There  are  so  many  ways  indulged  in 
by  religious  people  of  doing  good,  par- 
ticularly in  the  Old  Country.  I  saw  a 
very  handsomely  embroidered  altar-cloth, 
evidently  constructed  by  the  hands  of 
some  fair  English  enthusiast ;  when  I  saw 
it,  it  was  being  utilized  as  a  breech-cloth 
by  an  old  gentleman  with  a  most  mur- 
derously forbidding  countenance. 

The  names  of  most  of  the  places  we 
put  into  were  generally  unpronounceable. 


I' 


Jl 


1 


\ 


m 


!  1 


>    ,  I 


li. 


I    '•; 


•    li 


162 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


If  you  pronounced  them  as  they  were 
spelt,  you  would  be  sure  to  be  wrong; 
and  you  could  not  possibly  spell  them  as 
they  were  pronounced. 

The  delta  of  this  great  waterway  down 
which  we  have  been  coming  for  nearly 
twenty-four  hundred  miles  is  said  to  be 
one  hundred  miles  wide.  There  are  many 
channels,  and  the  spot  where  we  tied  up 
for  the  night  when  we  reached  tide-water 
was  without  exception  the  most  dreary, 
desolate-looking  waste  I  ever  had  the 
honour  to  gaze  upon — miles  upon  miles 
of  mud-flats,  no  vegetation,  fog  and  drizzle; 
outside,  the  faint  moaning  of  the  waves  in 
Behring  Sea,  making  the  whole  scene 
positively  funereal. 


158 


bey  were 


wrong ; 


them 


as 


ay  down 
r  nearly 
id  to  be 
re  many 

tied  up 
le- water 

dreary, 
lad  the 
n  miles 
drizzle; 
^aves  in 
'    scene 


XXVI 


COMMUNICATION 


It  is  about  eighty  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Yukon  to  the  Island  of  St.  Miohael's, 
and  it  is  not  a  pleasant  passage  to  make 
in  a  river-boat,  with  forty-five  feet  of  her 
sticking  up  in  the  air  and  three  feet  in 
the  water.  I  should  not  care  for  it  as  a 
steady  job.  When  she  commences  to 
roll,  if  there  is  any  sea  on,  and  the  upper- 
works  begin  to  shift  in  an  unpleasant 
manner,  it  is  time  to  make  other  arrange- 
ments.    The   hull   is   the    most   inviting 


m 

i  if" 

'■  ■  p 

.  I   ■'  r 


II 


'1 


;       ■  r 

'      '  J' 

,  1    ::; 

i:^^ 

♦ . 


.  ,  , 


,;i    i 


i 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


\    I 


i  !•; 


spot ;  it  might  possibly  float.  I  kept  one 
eye  on  the  hold,  which  was  unoccupied, 
and  loafed  round  the  main-hatch,  waiting 
for  the  upper- works  to  go  overboard;  but, 
although  there  was  a  good  deal  of  groan- 
ing and  creaking,  nothing  happened,  and 
we  got  into  shelter  behind  St.  Michael's 
Island  that  night.  Only  eighteen  miles 
round  to  St.  Michael's  Harbour,  but  we 
dared  not  put  our  nose  round  the  corner. 
There  was  quite  a  sea  running. 

The  Indians  here  are  a  wonderful  ja- 
going  race,  both  men  and  women.  They 
start  with  the  tusk  of  a  walrus,  which 
they  make  into  an  ivory  harpoon,  to  kill  a 
seal.  The  skin  of  the  seal  furnishes 
them  with  a  kyak,  a  small  skin  canoe,  and 
in  this  wonderful  construction  they  go  out 
to  sea  and  chase  more  seals  and  walruses, 
which  provide  them  with  n-.ore  death- 
dealing  ivory  appliances,  and  more  skins 


COMMUNICATION 


156 


for  boats,  besides  which  they  eat  the 
flesh  and  use  the  oil  for  fuel,  light,  and 
drink. 

They  are  very  clever  at  making  models 
of  themselves  and  their  boats,  which  they 
sell  to  inquisitive  tourists  aud  globe- 
trotters who  chancfc  to  pass  that  way. 

Their  appearance  is  not  very  prepos- 
sessing, although,  strange  to  say,  all  the 
women  I  saw  on  St.  Michael's  Island  had 
splendid  complexions. 

They  utilize  every  part  of  the  seal,  even 
making  fine  waterproof  coats  out  of  the 
intestines. 

After  a  couple  of  days'  more  delay, 
which  was  a  matter  of  no  consequence 
now,  the  opposition  boat,  belonging  to  the 
Alaska  Commercial  Company,  heaving  in 
sight,  we  pulled  out  for  St.  Michael's  Har- 
bour, where,  after  some  blood-curdling 
groans  and  screeches  from  the  upper-works 


n  ii 


i  it 


■A 
1  -:  a 


\  1 


'   1 


!.1 


i'i 


W» 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


of  the  J,  J.  Healy^  we  arrived  safely — ^ju8t 
thirty  days  out,  instead  of  six. 

St.  Michael's  showed  evidences  of  the 
gold  excitement,  there  being  no  fewer  than 
nine  vessels  in  the  harbour,  four  of  them 
being  steamers. 


5-.ri 


H 


m 

I 


I 


XXVII 


CIVILIZATION 


There  were  several  ships  to  choose  from, 
good,  bad,  and  indifferent,  bound  for  ports 
on  the  Pacific  Coast ;  and  I  determined  to 
take  the  first,  which  happened  to  be  a 
wooden  steam  schooner  called  the  Excelsior, 
bound  for  San  Francisco:  not  that  I 
wanted  to  go  there,  but  rather  on  the 
principle  of  any  port  in  a  storm. 

This  vessel  was  chartered  by  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company,  and  in  many  ways 
a  comfortable  little   tub  she  was,  always 


j    ;  i.i 

f  ii 


■H- 


H 


't: 

1: 


mi 


w 


<      ill! 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 

reminding  me  of  Nansen's  celebrated  Fram^ 
from  his  description. 

Nansen's  work  was  my  only  literature 
on  the  entire  trip,  and  I  devoured  this 
religiously  whenever  I  got  the  opportunity, 
until  I  knew  it  almost  by  heart. 

The  Excelsior  sailed  at  midnight  on 
August  26th,  with  ninety  passengers  and 
twelve  boxes  of  bullion,  worth  probably 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars. 

We  steamed  out  into  the  Behring  Sea, 
and  all  went  well  till  next  morning.  I 
was  on  deck  at  seven  a.m.,  and  could  not 
help  noticing  the  muddy  colour  of  the  sea, 
denoting  shoal  water,  although  we  were 
certainly  sixty  miles  off  the  land.  In  a 
moment  we  were  stuck  fast  on  a  mud-bank, 
in  twelve  feet  of  water,  while  we  required 
fourteen  feet  astern  to  float. 

I  subsequently  heard  that  this  was  not 


I: 


CIVILIZATION  159 

an    unusual    occurrence.     Opposite     the 
entrance  to  the  Yukon  River  an  enormous 
shoal  extends  for  nearly  a  hundred  miles, 
and  any  ship  trying  to  take  a  short  cut  is 
liable  to  stick.     Some  of  the  passengers 
had  been  with  me  in  the  unfortunate  F.  B. 
Weave,  and,  upon  coming  on    deck  and 
finding  the  ship  stationary,  took  it  all  as  a 
matter  of  course  and  part  of  the  regular 
programme.     But  here  we  had  an  element 
of  danger,  as  the  Behring  Sea  is  often  dis- 
posed to  be   stormy,  and,  should  a  heavy 
blow  come  on  before  we  got  off,  the  ship 
might  possibly  break  up  and  bring  all  our 
troubles  to  an  untimely  end. 

The  weather  luckily  was  fine  ;  and  after 
working  the  engines  several  hours,  in  the 
hope  of  dredging  out  a  passage,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  striking  a  sunken  log  or  a 
rock,  and  broke  three  blades  off  the 
propeller. 


¥ 


ft  I 


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1 

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jh  1 

; 

i'^f 

160 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


L«  I 


Here  was  another  unique  position, — a 
disabled  ship,  fifty  or  sixty  miles  off  the 
land,  high  and  dry  on  a  mud-bank. 

At  last  the  captain  broke  the  news  to 
us  that,  if  we  ever  wished  to  get  off,  it 
would  be  necessary  for  the  passengers  to 
turn  to  and  work.  We  had  seventy-five 
tons  of  coal  stored  somewhere  aft,  and 
this  would  have  to  be  shifted  forward, 
when  he  expected  the  ship  would  float. 

We  soon  divided  up  into  watches  and 
reli*]jiously  moved  this  coal  forward,  using 
wheelbarrows,  till  a  few  minutes  before 
midnight  the  welcome  sound  that  we  were 
afloat  once  more  was  heard,  and  we  ceased 
from  our  labour. 

But  alas,  our  mutilated  propeller  was 
like  a  hand  with  all  the  fingers  gone — 
nothing  left  but  a  thumb.  With  this 
abreviated  appliance  we  had  to  make  our 
way  for  eight  hundred  miles  to  Unalaska, 


Hi 


il 


CIVILIZATION 


161 


the  nearest  port,  in  the  Aleutian  Islands. 

Thanks  to  a  favourable  breeze  and  a 
fairly  smooth  sea,  we  accomplished  this, 
arriving  on  the  night  of  September  1st — 
thankful  it  was  no  worse. 

The  Aleutian  Islands  at  this  time  of 
the  year  look  very  much  like  the  coast  of 
Ireland  at  first  sight,  until  you  discover 
volcanic  formation — the  hills  are  a  bright 
green,  and  not  a  tree  or  shrub  to  be  seen. 
Picturesque  little  harbours  are  plentiful, 
and,  with  a  few  sealing  schooners  and  an 
occasional  man-of-war  anchored  here,  the 
effect  is  quite  magical. 

Our  broken  propeller  had  to  be  un- 
shipped, and  a  second-hand  one,  which 
luckily  we  had  on  board,  substituted, — 
quite  a  performance  when  far  away  from 
dry-docks  and  other  conveniences.  The 
ship  had  to  be  backed  up  on  the  beach  at 
high  water,  and  then,  when  the  tide  fell 

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TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


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sufficiently,  the  business  end  could  be 
extracted. 

All  this  was  skilfully  attended  to  by 
the  chief  engineer,  and  in  five  days  we 
were  ready  for  sea  a^jain. 

There  was  literally  nothing  to  do  ex- 
cept catch  fish  and  watch  the  sea-lions 
disnortino:  themselves  in  Dutch  Harbour. 
H.M.S.  Pheasant  was  the  only  representa- 
tive of  the  English  navy  here,  and,  as  the 
well-known  bugle-calls  came  floating  over 
the  water  in  the  evenings,  many  of  us  felt 
that  we  were  indeed  once  more  almost  on 
the  threshold  of  civilization.  ' 

We  now  heard  for  the  first  time  of  the 
loss  of  the  Mexico^  the  ship  which  I  came 
up  in  from  Victoria  to  Juneau,  and  also 
that  the  Eliza  Anderson  had  gone  down 
with  one  hundred  and  twenty  people  a 
few  days  before  we  arrived.  This  ancient 
side-wheel  steamer,  built  away  back  in  the 


\ 


CIVILIZATION 


163 


on 


the 


fifties,  it  appeared,  had  been  sunk  for 
many  years,  but,  on  account  of  the  gold 
rush,  had  been  resuscitated  and  chartered 
by  some  enterprising  Transportation  Com- 
jany,  to  convey  the  uninitiated  to  St. 
Michael's  for  two  hundred  dollars  per 
head. 

The  report  of  her  loss,  however,  turned 
out  to  be  incorrect,  as  the  day  before  we 
left  I  saw  her  slowly  steam  into  Dutch 
Harbour,  looking  very  lopsided  but  still 
in  the  ring.  The  poor  miserable  pas- 
sengers were  very  full  of  their  awful  ex- 
periences. They  were  twenty-eight  days 
out  from  Seattle,  cooped  up  in  this 
wretched  old  tank,  the  vanguard  of  an  ir- 
regular procession  of  many  other  ancient 
hulks.  A  few  days  before  making  this 
port,  they  reported  encountering  a  storm 
which  lasted  three  days  and  nights.  They 
were   entirely   out    of  fuel,   and   had   to 

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burn  parts  of  the  wood-work  of  the  ship. 
Many  barrels  of  oil  were  thrown  over- 
board to  calm  the  troubled  sea,  and  one* 
very  intelligent  passenger  assured  me  that 
when  a  big  sea  struck  the  ship,  the  seams 
would  open  and  the  water  dash  through 
the  aperture  across  the  deck.  The  same 
man  informed  me  that  the  only  way  they 
were  saved  from  a  watery  grave  was  the 
novel  method  of  navigation  adopted  by 
their  captain.  This  gentleman,  realising 
the  necessity  of  preventing,  if  possible, 
one  of  those  bi?  Pacific  rollers  from 
breaking  over  the  vessel,  would  run  her 
up  to  the  top  of  a  big  wave,  back  astern, 
then  go  ahead  again,  thereby  going  up  and 
down  on  the  same  wave  for  several  days, 
until  the  storm  was  over.  Having  se- 
cured some  few  tons  of  coal  from  a 
deserted  cannery  somewhere  along  the 
coast,   they   at    last    made    Unalaska,   a 


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thankful    but    thoroughly    scared   lot  of 
Argonauts. 

The  ship  was  condemned,  I  believe,  by 
the  United  States  authorities,  at  the  pas- 
sengers' request ;  and  these  misguided 
people  chartered  a  small  sailing  schooner 
to  take  them  on  to  St.  Michael's,  paying 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  for  the  luxury. 

The  stampede  for  the  Yukon  River  had 
undoubtedly  now  fairly  commenced,  and 
any  old  box  that  would  float  was  being 
pressed  into  the  service. 

About  this  time  the  steamer  Humboldt^ 
a  brand-new  boat,  came  in  on  her  way 
down  to  Seattle  and  San  Francisco,  and  I 
determined  to  transfer.  1  had  already  paid 
two  fares,  but  did  not  hesitate  to  pay  one 
more  in  order  to  expedite  matters. 

For  the  information  of  future  emigrants, 
I  may  state  that  I  paid  the  North  Ameri- 
can Trading  and  Transportation  Company 


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166 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


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one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  for  which 
modest  sum  I  was  supposed  to  be  entitled 
to  a  first-class  passage  to  Seattle  via  St. 
Michael's,  making  close  connection  with  a 
good  ocean  steamer.  However,  all  I  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  was  a  residence  for  near- 
ly three  weeks  on  a  sand  bar,  a  charming 
resort  for  those  having  plenty  of  time  to 
spare  :  then  thirteen  days  more  on  another 
river  boat.  I  then  sacrificed  the  balance 
of  my  passage  money  and  disgorged  one 
hundred  and  twenty  dollars  more  to  the 
Alaska  Commercial  Company,  which  en- 
titled me  to  a  passage  on  the  Excelsior — 
and  a  good  long  one  too,  it  seemed  to 
me. 

The  Humboldt  had  only  about  sixteen 
returning  passengers,  and  was  'flying 
light.'  She  was  a  good  boat,  and  capable 
of  fifteen  knots  an  hour ;  but,  as  coal  was 
scarce,  her  speed  was  kept  down  to  eleven 


n^ 


CIVILIZATION 


167 


and  half,  which  would  bring  us  to  Seattle, 
bar  further  accidents,  in  six  days  and  a 
half. 

I  gave  up  seventy-five  dollars  more  for 
this  chance  of  reaching  civilization.  This 
vessel  had  been  chartered  by  an  enterpris- 
ing legal  gentleman  with  an  eye  to  the  al- 
mighty dollar,  who,  for  the  modest  sum  of 
three  hundred  dollars  each,  guaranteed  to 
deliver  people  at  Dawson  City,  and  easily 
secured  over  two  hundred  victims.  I  v/as 
told  he  took  up  a  river  boat  in  sections, 
and  calculated  to  put  this  together  at  St. 
Michael's,  and  then,  although  supremely 
:gnorant  of  the  difficulties  of  navigating 
the  Yukon  River,  he  intended  going  up  to 
Dawson  before  the  ice  made. 

Wvi  had  two  of  his  passengers  returning 
in  the  Humboldt^  and  they  told  me  that 
when  they  left  St.  Michael's  the  others 
were  looking    for  a    convenient    tree    on 


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163 


TO  KLONDYKE  AND  BACK 


;i'i. 


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which  to  hang  the  promoter  of  the  enter- 
prise ;  but,  as  there  are  no  such  things  to 
be  found  on  that  volcanic  isle,  let  us  pre- 
sume he  is  still  safe. 

It  was  dreary  on  board  the  Humboldt^ 
but  every  day  brought  us  nearer  to 
the  much-longed-for  goal ;  and  at  last, 
on  Sunday  night,  September  12th,  we 
sighted  the  well-known  light  off  Cape 
Flattery,  at  the  entrance  to  Juan  de  Fuca 
Straits.  I  had  often  passed  this  spot 
before  in  a  very  matter-of-course  kind  of 
way,  but  this  time  it  was  the  most  wel- 
come sight  I  had  seen  for  many  a  long 
weary  moon.  We  gr.zed  at  the  lighthouse, 
through  a  thin  veil  of  fog,  long  and  lov- 
ingly, while  visions  of  real  porterhouse 
steaks,  fresh  green  vegetables,  clean  shirts, 
newspapers,  and  other  luxuries,  rushed 
through  our  excited  brains.  As  we  steamed 
up   the   calm  waters   of  the  Straits,  our 


^1 


CIVILIZATION  ie9 

hearts  beat  joyfully  with  a  newborn  hope, 
and  all  our  troubles  seemed  to  be  ended. 

A  quiet,  restful  night,  and  next  morning 
we  were  alongside  the  busy  wharf  at  Seat- 
tle—once more  in  the  midst  of  civilization. 


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173 


Although  this  narrative  ends  with  my  re- 
turn  to  civilization,  it  is  perhaps  due  to 
those  of  my  readers  who  thirst  for  informa- 
tion, and  may  think  I  have  treated  the 
subject  in  too  frivolous  a  manner,  that  I 
should  provide  them  with  a  few  statistics 
which  they  could  only  obtain  through  the 
medium  of  the  numerous  guide-books 
(trustworthy  and  otherwise)  which  have 
so  recently  deluged  the  literary  market. 

I  have  carefully  avoided  giving  advice 
to  enthusiastic  Argonauts,  neither  have  I 
intentionally     discredited     the     country 


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174 


TO  RLOhlDYKE  AND  BACK 


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which  has  apparently  absorbed  the  atten- 
tion of  the  whole  universe.  I  have  simply 
endeavoured  to  relate  my  own  personal 
experiences,  and  paint  the  peculiarities  of 
people  met  with,  during  a  trip  of  about 
thirteen  thousand  miles. 

I  cannot  do  better  than  quote  from  Mr. 
Ogilvie's  latest  report,  as  regards  the 
necessary  food  supplies  which  the  intend- 
ing prospector  will  require.  A  table  of 
approximate  distances,  taken  from  a  lead- 
ing Canadian  daily  paper,  will  also  assist 
the  stranger  in  the  choice  of  a  route ; 
while  the  latest  authentic  Government 
mining  regulations,  although  always  sub- 
ject to  revision,  will  explain  themselves. 

It  is  generally  expected  that  many 
thousand  human  beings,  of  all  sorts  and 
conditions,  will  form  a  vast  procession  and 
attempt  to  reach  the  gold-fields  this  year. 
Many  have   undoubtedly   started   without 


i| 


APPENDIX  176 

having  had  the  opportunity  of  buyin<r  this 
valuable  work,  and  therefore  cannot  be 
blamed  ;  but  to  the  others,  if  there  are 
any  left,  I  would  say  remember  Mr. 
Punch's  advice  '  To  those  about  to  marry.' 


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HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


FROM  MR.  W.  OGILVIE'S  REPORT 


FOOD   SUPPLIES,   ETC. 


'5  I- 


I    |i 


>i  *' 


For  the  information  of  those  who  have  never 
been  in  the  country  I  give  some  notes  on  the 
amount  of  provisions  required,  first  si-ating  that 
you  will  require  at  least  fifty  per  cent,  more  in 
that  region  than  you  would  in  a  more  southern 
latitude.  The  cold  suffered  (often  intense)  for 
at  least  seven  months  in  the  year  conduces  to  a 
vigorous  appetite.  This  is  a  provision  of  na- 
ture, for,  in  order  to  keep  warm,  the  human 
system  has  to  pile  on  fuel  jiist  as  much  as  any 
other  apparatus  where  heat  is  required. 


h 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


177 


All  supplies  required  for  the  Yukon  by  per- 
sons going  in  on  tlie  Pacific  side  can  be  obtained 
at  the  cities  of  Victoria  or  Vancouver.  The 
merchants  at  these  places  have  had  many  years* 
experience  in  outfitting  miners  and  prospectors, 
and  know  exactly  what  a  man  should  tako 
with  him,  according  to  the  conditions  under 
which  he  is  going  to  travel  or  work,  and  know 
from  many  years'  testing,  and  from  the  ex- 
perience of  noit'^ern  explorers  who  frequent 
the  British  Columbia  cities,  what  class  of 
goods  are  most  desirable  and  useful,  and  those 
best  calculated  to  complete  a  traveller's  outfit. 
Many  things  that  are  excellent  for  more  southern 
districts,  and  which  are  sometimes  sold  to  inex- 
perienced explorers,  are  not  fitted  for  the  more 
northern  districts  of  what  was  once  Hudson  Bay 
Company's  territory. 

The  merchants  of  these  coast  cities  have 
studied  and  are  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
requirements  of  the  country,  for  many  parts  of 
which,  including  the  Kootenay,  Cassiar  mines, 
and  other  districts,  they  have  outfitted  explor- 

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178 


APPENDIX 


ing  parties  for  many  years  past.  By  purchasing 
in  either  of  those  two  cities  for  the  Pacific 
journey,  a  considerable  percentage  of  cost  is 
saved  in  freight  duties,  etc.  The  Canadian 
customs  duties  on  goods  purchased  out  of  the 
Dominion  range  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  per 
cent,  alone,  so  that  aside  from  the  question  of 
paying  freight  on  extra  baggage,  it  is  obvious 
that  a  considerable  saving  is  made  by  purchas- 
ing necessary  outfit  in  Canada  and  at  the  near- 
est point  to  the  Yukon  territory  where  such 
supplies  can  be  procured. 

Those  who  go  into  the  mountains  or  into  the 
Yukon  from  the  east  side  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, across  the  plains  via  Calgary  and  Edmon- 
ton, will  find  the  same  conditions  to  apply. 
The  merchants  at  the  principal  points  have 
had  a  wide  experience  in  outfitting  people  for 
the  mountains.  During  the  past  season  many 
have  chosen  this  route,  and  purchased  neces- 
sary supplies  at  Calgary  and  Edmonton,  at  both 
of  which  towns  there  are  large  outfitting  estab- 
lishments.   As  between  the  two  cities  of  Cal- 


r 


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t  ■ 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


179 


gary  and  Edmonton  a  traveller  can  choose  for 
himself.  The  cost  of  the  several  articles  he 
will  require  will  probably  be  found,  freight  in- 
cluded, to  be  about  the  same.  It  will  be  well 
to  remember,  therefore,  that  it  is  better  that 
Yukon  outfits  should  be  purchased  at  Victoria 
or  Vancouver,  if  the  purchaser  is  going  in  on 
the  Pacific  side,  and  at  Calgary  or  Kdmonton, 
or  other  Canadian  point,  if  he  is  proceeding  by 
the  plains  route.  The  articles  that  should  bo 
taken  are : 

Of  flour  we  require  at  least  four  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  for  a  year's  consumption.  This 
should  be  of  fairly  good  grade.  Tt  need  not 
necessarily  be  fine  flour,  but  should  be  good 
medium.  Oatmeal  or  rolled  oats,  fifty  pounds ; 
cornmeal,  twenty-five  pounds.  This  latter  I  do 
not  consider  so  necessary  as  oatmeal,  as  oatmeal 
is  a  warming  food.  Bacon  (good,  fat),two  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds;  hams,  fifty  pounds;  evaporated 
dried  apples,  twenty-five  pounds ;  dried  peaches, 
twenty-five  pounds ;  and  if  you  have  a  fancy 
for  any  other  kind  of  dried  fruits  you  can  take 

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APPENDIX 


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them  along,  or  substitute  them  for  one  or  other 
of  the  above.  Good  black  tea,  twenty-five 
pounds.  Tn  that  country  you  will  Hnd  a  cup 
of  good,  hot,  black  tea,  after  a  long,  cold  tramp, 
very  invigorating — in  fact,  it  proves  '  the  cup 
that  cheers  but  not  inebriates.'  Coffee,  ten 
pounds ;  sugar  (good  granulated),  one  hundred 
pounds.  If  you  take  the  ordinary  brown  sugar 
in  the  winter  it  freev:es  into  a  Lard  lump,  and 
is  very  difficult  to  manipulate.  Not  so  with 
granulated ;  remaining  dry,  of  course  it  re- 
mains powdered,  'ieans,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  pounds.  There  are  several  kinds  of 
beans  of  which  yen  may  make  choice  accord- 
ing to  your  taste,  but  the  ordinary  bean  sold 
there  is  the  brown  bean,  about  trace  the  size 
of  the  small  white  one.  Pot  barley,  ten 
pounds ;  rice,  fifteen  pounds;  extract  of  beef,  two 
dozen  four-ounce  tms.  I  have  found  Johnson'^i 
Fluid  Beef  to  be  very  good.  Baking  powder, 
twelve  or  fifteen  pounds  ;  salt,  thirty  pounds ; 
pepper,  one  pound ;  mustard,  one  pound ; 
compressed  vegetables,  ten  or  twelve  pounds, 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


181 


(legending  upon  the  kind  you  take.  Canned 
fruits  may  ^-  may  not  be  taken,  but  they  are 
bulky  and  licavy,  consequently  inconvenient, 
and  in  winter  a  source  of  trouble  in  that 
country,  as  the  contents  freeze  solid  and  re- 
quire a  very  long  time  to  thaw.  You  should 
also  tako  ttu  or  fifteen  or  more  pounds  of 
bakinr;  sody,,  as  you  may  think  necessary. 

In  case  of  scurvy  one  might  provide  lime- 
juice,  more  or  less  as  their  taste  suggests,  but 
the  dried    fruits  already  named  are  antiscor- 
butic in  their  action,  and  iC  we  wish  to  make 
further  provision  in  that  dn-ection  we  might 
take  two  or  three  dozen  tins  of  good  orange 
marmalade,  and  a  similar  (quantity  of   straw- 
berry or  raspberry  jam.     These,  as  put  up  by 
some  firms,  are  very  good.     Dried  potatoes  are 
put    up     in     sftveral    fi^rms,    and    are    good. 
Twenty-five  or  thirty  pounds  of  these  should 
be    taken.      Other    vegetables    are     put    up 
also,  from  which  you  may  select  as  you  fancy, 
but  you  should   take    the   above  quantity  of 
potatoes,  and  eight   ur  ten   pounds   of   dried 


i\ 


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182 


APPENDIX 


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onions.  Take  along  also  a  few  dozen  yeast- 
cakes,  yon  may  have  a  chance  to  use  them 
once  in  awliile,  and  their  weight  and  cost  are 
trifling.  For  convenience,  I  recapitulate,  in 
list  form : 


Pounds. 

Flour        

450 

Oatmeal    ------ 

50 

Cornmeal            .         _         -         .         . 

25 

Bacon  (good,  fat)        -         -         -         - 

250 

Hams 

60 

Evaporated  dried  apples       -         -         - 

25 

Dried  peaches 

25 

Tea 

25 

Coffee 

10 

Sugar        

100 

Beans 

120 

Barley  (pot) 

10 

Rice 

15 

Extract  of  beef,  say    -         -         -         - 

a 

Baking  powder  ----- 

12 

Salt 

80 

Pepper 

1 

Mustard 

1 

Compressed  vegetables          -         -         - 

12 

Canned  fruits,  say       -         -         -         - 

30 

Jams  m  tins,  1  pound  each 

24 

Baking  soda        .         -         -         -         - 

10 

Potatoes  and  onions    -         -         -         - 

35 

Total  weight 

-      1,316 

.  yeast- 
e  them 
ost  are 
late,  in 

Pounds. 

450 
50 
25 
250 
50 
25 
25 
25 
10 
100 
120 
10 
15 
G 
12 
30 
1 
1 
12 
CO 
24 
10 
35 

1,316 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


183 


This  will  prove  ample  to  spare  for  any  healthy, 
vigorous  man,  work  as  hard  as  he  may,  but  it 
is  well  to  have  a  little  too  much  rather  than  too 
little.  It  is  well  also  t3  bear  in  mind  that  there 
is  much  waste  connected  with  the  ordinary 
transport  and  use  of  provisions  under  the  con- 
ditions generally  attending  prospecting,  and 
the  cooking  incidental  to  it. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  above  list  contains 
no  canned  meats.  These  are  sometimes  con- 
venient when  making  a  journoy,  and  their  use 
is  largely  a  matter  of  taste.  iSome  relish  them, 
while  others  have  '  no  use '  for  them.  In  this 
line,  as  in  some  other  matters,  each  will  C'  tilt 
his  own  taste  and  means.  Packed  in  tins  us 
they  are,  they  are  somewhat  inconvenient  to 
pack,  and  the  tin  adds  considerably  to  the 
weight.  For  preservation  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  that  the  stuff  be  hermetically  sealed. 
It  is  a  pity  some  more  convenient  mode  of 
putting  up  were  not  adopted,  lessening  the 
weight,  while  not  risking  spoiling  by  contact 
with  the  air. 


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APPENDIX 


The  cost  of  this  outfit  will,  of  course,  vary- 
considerably,  according  to  time  and  place  of 
purchase,  but  in  any  of  the  cities  or  towns 
where  yon  are  likely  to  purchase  all  your 
requirements  will  likely  cost  no  more 
than  two  hundred  dollars,  and  may  be  less. 
At  the  prices  ruling  on  the  Yukon  it  will  be 
more  than  double  that ;  four  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  is  rated  as  a  fair  '  grub  stake,'  that  is, 
your  requirement  for  one  year. 

The  following  list  and  prices  are  furnished 
by  an  Edmonton  firm,  subject,  of  course,  to 
fluctuations  in  the  ruling  prices  elsewhere, 
which  will  not,  however,  affect  the  gross 
amount  very  mv-ch.  Taken  as  a  whole  the 
amount  will  not  diff'er  much  from  the  same  list 
at  other  points : 


DolB.  OtB 

4  sacks  flour,  98  pounds  each 

-     10  00 

20  pounds  corn  meal             ... 

70 

40  pounds  rolled  oats            ... 

-       I  30 

25  pounds  Indian  rice          .         _         . 

-       1  75 

100  pounds  beans        .         -         .         - 

-      4  50 

Carried  forward     - 

-     18  25 

HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 

Brought  forward    - 
-    75  pounds  granulaoed  sugar 

75  pounds  evaporated  apricots,  peaches, 
apples 

6  packages  yeast  cakes         ... 

20  pounds  candles       -         -         .         . 

1 50  pounds  bacon       -         .         .         _ 

25  pounds  butter         -         -         .         _ 

10  pounds  baking  powder    -         .         . 

3  packages  soda  -         .         _         _ 

20  pounds  salt 

1  pound  pepper  .... 
Half-pound  mustard  -  -  -  . 
Half-pound  ground  ginger  -  -  . 
10  packages  evaporated  vegetables 

2  dozen  condensed  milk 

10  pounds  tea  -  -  -  .  . 
25  pounds  coffee  .... 

Half-dozen  Abbey's  effervescent  salt     - 
Laundry  soap     -         -         -         .         . 
Matches    ---_.. 
Evaporated  potatoes  and  onions  - 
2  pairs  heavy  blankets 
2  suit3  underwear        -         -         -         . 
2  cottonade  shirts        -         -         .         . 
2  sweatois  -         -  .         .         _ 

Carried  forward     - 


185 

DoIr.  CtB. 

18  25 

4  87 


and 


-  10  25 

50 

-  3  00 

-  IG  50 

-  3  75 

-  2  50 

30 

40 

25 

25 

25 

•  2  00 

-  4  50 

■  4  00 

•  10  00 

■  3  60 
I  00 

80 

4  00 
14  00 

5  00 
1  50 
3  00 

114  47 


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186 


APPENDIX 


Brought  forward 
1  heavy  suit       -         -         - 
1  pair  pants 
1  pair  overalls   -         -         - 

1  mackinaw  suit 

2  pairs  arctic  sox 
6  pairs  wool  sox 

2  pairs  mitts      -         -         - 

2  pail's  moccasins 

3  towels    -         -         -         - 
1  pair  rubber  boots,  hip 

1  pair  laced  boots,  miner's  - 
Mosquito  net     -         -         - 
Buttons,  needles,  and  thread 
1  camp  cook  stove 
1  gold  pan         -         -         - 

1  knife  and  fork 

2  spoons    -         -         -         - 
1  large  granite  spoon  - 

1  large  fork  -  -  - 
1  granite  cup  -  -  - 
1  granite  plate  -  -  - 
1  whet  stone  -  -  - 
1  pick  and  handle 
1  hatchet  and  handle  - 
1  axe  and  handle 

C  allied  forward 


Dols.  eta. 

114  47 

7  50 

2  00 

1  25 

10  00 

1  50 

1  50 

1  00 

3  00 

75 

5  00 

5  00 

60 

25 

5  00 

75 

15 

5 

15 

10 

15 

15 

10 

1  25 

75 

1  25 

163  57 


7  50 

2  00 

1  25 

10  00 

1  50 

1  50 

1  00 

3  00 

75 

5  00 

5  00 

50 

25 

5  00 

75 

15 

5 

15 

10 

15 

15 

10 

1  25 

75 

1  25 

HINTS  70  PROSPECTORS 


Brought  forward 
1  whip  saw         ... 

1  X  cut  saw       -         -         - 

1  hand  saw         -         .         _ 

1  long  hand  shovel 
20  pounds  nails 

2  files  .... 
1  draw  knife  -  -  . 
1  plane  -  -  .  _ 
Brace  and  bits    -         -         . 

3  chisels  .  -  .  _ 
1  butcher  knife  .  .  - 
1  compass  .  .  . 
Rope  -  -  .  . 
1  fry  pan  .  -  -  . 
1  hammer  ... 
1  auger  .... 
1  bake  kettle  ... 
1  best  copper  kettle     - 

1  steel  pail         -         .         . 

1  granite  vrash  basin  - 

1  candle  lantern 

1  pound  quicksilver     - 

1  pair  goggles    ... 

1  caulking  iron  -         .         - 

10  pounds  pitch 

Carried  forward 


187 

Dols.  eta. 

163  57 
9  00 
3  50 
1  00 
1  00 

1  00 
40 
75 
90 

2  00 
75 
25 
50 

1  50 
25 
50 
65 

1  50 

C  00 
75 
40 
35 
90 
35 
75 

1  00 


199  52 


■  3 1 1* ' 

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188                             APPENDIX 

Brought  forward  - 

m 

DoIb.  CtB. 

-   199  52 

15  pounds  oakum        -         .         . 

- 

-       2  00 

Sundries 

- 

-       2  18 

Total 


203  70 


A  few  words  on  packing,  or  putting  np  the 
goods  for  transport,  may  be  of  use  to  many. 
Flour  should  be  put  in  a  good  cotton  sack, 
fifty  pounds  in  a  sack ;  two  of  those  are  then 
put  into  a  good  strong  gunny  sack.  For 
ordinary  transport  this  is  not  more  than 
enough,  and  for  prospecting  tours  one  of  the 
fifty  pound  sacks  inside  the  gunny  sack  will  be 
found  quite  sufficient.  Sugar,  beans,  rice, 
barley  meal,  and  bacon  may  be  packed  in  the 
same  way,  with  advantage. 

I  would  not  recommend  oiled  cotton  for 
covering,  the  oiling  seems  to  rot  the  cotton 
fibre  and  render  it  easily  torn,  besides  in  cold 
weather  it  is  as  brittle  as  glass,  and  the  re- 
sult is  we  have  no  covering  at  all  in  a  few 
days. 

The  gunny  cloth,  if  good  and  heavy,  will 


ri. 


. ,  I 


Hf^TS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


189 


exclude  quite  a  lot  of  rain.  In  the  case  of 
flour  a  thin  layer  of  it  will  get  wet  and  form  a 
dough  which  excludes  water  almost  perfectly ; 
that  amount  of  flour  is,  of  course,  lost,  hut  that 
is  provided  for  in  the  amount  above  given. 
In  wet  weather  sugar  will  have  to  be  carefully 
looked  after,  as  once  wet  the  action  seems  to 
continue  until  the  whole  is  converted  into 
syrup  if  the  temperature  permits,  and  if  it 
does  not  it  is  frozen  into  a  mass  as  hard  as 
rock.  These  remarks  may  be  in  a  good  de- 
gree applied  to  salt,  and  I  would  say  em- 
phatically look  after  your  sugar  and  salt. 
Compressed  tea  ofi'ers  the  advantage  of  less 
bulk,  and  if  it  is  not  taken,  get  tea  put  up  in 
pound  tins  as  some  of  it  used  to  be.  This  is 
convenient  in  use,  as  only  a  small  quantity  of 
it  is  opened  at  one  time,  and  we  obviate 
deterioration  of  a  large  amount  of  it  through 
exposure. 

The  other  articles  may  I  e  packed  in  cases 
for  transport  into  the  country,  and  then  put  up 
to  suit  convenience.    Care  should  be  exercised 


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190 


APPENDIX 


that  none  of  the  cases  weigh  much  over  one 
hundred  pounds,  until  we  have  better  trans- 
port facilities  than  at  present  exist.  That  is 
about  all  the  ordinary  untrained  man  wants 
to  handle,  and  for  some  months  to  come  there 
will  be  much  manual  labour  in  connection 
with  transport  there. 

Bedding  and  other  things  of  that  kind  one 
will  have  to  provide  as  suits  his  peculiar 
needs. 

In  the  way  of  clothing,  the  principal  differ- 
ence between  that  country  and  this  is,  that  one 
requires  much  heavier  underclothing.  The 
ordinary  woollen  gannents,  such  as  worn  by 
lumbermen  and  others  in  this  climate,  are 
sufficiently  heavy  for  that,  except  wlien 
travelling  on  the  open  or  on  the  rivers,  in 
which  case  some  sort  of  fur  is  necessary,  more 
especially  if  it  is  blowing.  Ordinary  woollen 
coats  will  not  keep  out  the  winds,  and  when 
the  thermometer  is  forty  or  fifty  degrees  below 
zero,  and  a  twenty  to  thirty  mile  wind  blowing, 
one  is  not  very  long  exposed  before  consider- 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


191 


able  suffering  ensues.  Good  heavy  woollen 
mitts,  with  a  pair  of  deerskin  mitts  over  them, 
is  all  that  is  required. 

In  the  way  of  bedding  a  good  heavy  fur 
blanket  is  almost  indispensable ;  ordinary 
woollen  blankets,  no  matter  how  many  one 
has,  will  not  keep  warm.  But  in  this  there  is 
a  wide  latitude,  depending  on  differences  of 
physical  constitution.  I  have  seen  two  men 
in  the  same  tent  at  the  same  time  with  the 
same  amount  of  bedding,  one  sleepless  from 
cold  and  the  other  comfortable ;  hence,  as  I 
said  before,  each  will  have  to  determine  for 
himself  as  suits  his  temperament.  Of  course 
the  less  one  can  do  with  the  more  convenient 
it  is. 

Blankets  have  been  made  in  that  country 
of  fox,  lynx,  wolf,  and  bearskin.  They  are 
very  expensive,  costing  from  sixty  to  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  dollars,  depending  upon  the 
nature  of  the  fur  and  the  size  of  the  blanket. 
In  the  future,  however,  they  are  absolutely  out 
of  the  question,  for  the  supply  of  fur  there  is 


i, 

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192 


APPENDIX 


constantly  diminisliing-,  and  it  is  only  a  question 
of  a  rear  or  two  until  none  will  be  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  diggings,  nor  anywhere 
near  them.  These  should  be  procured,  if 
possible,  here.  Lynx  makes  a  very  durable, 
light,  warm  blanket,  and  I  would  recommend 
it  above  all  others,  on  account  of  its  lightness 
and  warmth.  Fox  is  good,  but  not  so  durable 
as  lynx.  Wolf  is  also  good,  but  heavier,  and 
not  so  warm  as  lynx,  and  the  same  may  be 
said  of  bearskin. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  necessity  will  induce 
manufacturers  to'  devise  some  cheap  substitute 
for  fur.  S.Ieeping-bags  are  made  which  will 
be  useful  and  comfortable.  Of  these  I  would 
say  choose  the  one  that  gives  you  the  most 
thickness  bet\*een  you  and  the  ground,  of 
course  not  neglecting  the  covering.  Often  in 
winter,  when  camping  out,  more  cold  is  felt 
from  below  than  above.  Waterproof  clothing 
is  not  suitable  for  that  country  in  the  winter. 
The  intense  frosts  so  harden  it  that  it  cracks, 
and   soon  breaks  into  pieces.     A  good,  large 


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niNl'S  TO  PROSPECTORS  193 

raccoon  skin  overcoat  is  verj  desirable.     It  is 
cheap  and  durable. 

While    travelling  in    cold  winter  weather 
your  knees  will  give  you  more  trouble  than 
any  other  part  of  the  body.     I  have  found  a 
fur  covering  for  them,  resembling  a  section 
of  the  leg  of  pants,  about  one  foot  long,  and 
fast3ned  to  your  under-garmont  so  as  to  cover 
tho  Knee,  is  all  that  is  requii-ed.  Whatever  ma- 
terial is  used  it  should  be  wind-proof  and  thick. 
The  other  things  that  one  may  require  will 
have  to  suggest  themselves  to  each    one  for 
himself,  but  too  much  need  not  be  taken.     Do 
not  load  yourself  down  with  extras.     Rubber 
boots  are  indispensable    during    the    spring, 
summer,  and  autumn  months.     These  can  be' 
procured  in  the  country  at  from  ten  to  four- 
teen dollars  per  pair-that  is,  miners'  boots, 
which  come    up  the   full  length  of  the  leg. 
Shorter  ones  cost  less,  of  course.     These  may 
be  taken  as  they  can  be  procured  cheaper,  but 
there  is  nearly  always  a  good  assortment  on 
hand  at  the  trading  points. 


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APPENDIX 


In  the  way  of   hardware    one  requires  a 
couple  of  good  chopping-axes.    Ai:es  are  sold 
with  a  double  bit — that  i^,  a  double-edged  axe 
of  which  one  may  be  kept  in  fair  order  for 
chopping,   and  the    other    used    for  rougher 
work.    A  brace  and  set  of  bits  is  indispens- 
able, ranging  from  a  quarter  to  one  and  a  half 
inches     in    size.     Hammer    and    wire    nails, 
different    sizes,   are   also    indispensable ;    the 
more  you  can  take  of  these  the  better,  but,  of 
course,  the  quantity  will  have  to  be  regulated 
by  your  transport  facilities.     A   small  hand- 
saw is  absolutely  necessary,  with  an  assortment 
of  screw  nails  of  different  sizes,  and  suitable 
screw-drivers,  and  an  inch  or  one  and  a  quarter 
inch  auger  will  prove  very  useful.    A  miner's 
pick  is  also  indispensable,  and  a  miner's  shovel. 
Of    rope   we    require    twenty-five    or    thirty 
pounds    of   assorted    sizes,  from    one-quarter 
inch  up  to  one  inch,  and  if  we  contemplate 
building    a  boat   for  ourselves,   a  whip-saw, 
oakum,  and  pitch.     Of  the  latter,  ten  to  twenty 
pounds  may  be  taken,  and  five  to  ten  of  the 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


S9« 


oakum.  The  other  articles  of  hardware,  such 
as  dishes,  knives,  forks,  spoons,  kettles,  etc., 
each  one  will  have  to  select  for  himself.  His 
supply  should  be  based  on  his  prospecting 
intentions  and  the  length  of  time  he  expects 
to  be  absent  from  points  of  trade. 

A  rifle  and  a  shot-gun  may  prove  useful  and 
are  a  sort  of  necessity,  but  as  a  rule  they  prove 
of  very  little  use,  as  game  is  seldom  met  with, 
and  what  little  there  is,  one  has  no  time  to 
follow.  Hunting  is  an  art  which  requires  long 
experience  to  develop.  Occasionally  one  ob- 
tains a  shot  at  a  moose  or  cariboo,  but  these 
are  often  accidental,  and  your  gun  may  be  car- 
ried for  years  without  benefiting  you  one 
dollar.  Still,  by  all  means  take  them  along. 
You  may  require  them,  you  never  know  when, 
and  when  you  do  require  them  you  require 
them  in  earnest.  Fishing-hooks  and  lines  may 
be  taken,  but  of  these  it  may  be  said  as  of  the 
guns. 

Needles,  thread,  and  yarn  and  cloth,  for 
mending  and  patching,  are  required,  of  course, 

o  2 


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APPENDIX 


and  each  one  will  have  to  determine  for  him- 
self the  amount  he  needs.  You  cannot  make  a 
mistake  by  taking  more  than  you  actually  con- 
template using,  as  the  weight  and  bulk  is  un- 
important. A  small  medicine  chest  is  impera- 
tive. For  contents  of  this  I  would  suggest 
medical  advice.  What  would  suit  one,  another 
would  not  require,  and  each  will  have  to  de- 
termine for  himself  and  for  his  peculiar  case 
just  what  he  should  take.  Paper,  envelopes, 
pens,  ink,  and  pencils  are  necessary,  as  you 
should  never  neglect  to  write  whenever  pos- 
sible ;  by  all  means  keep  up  the  connection 
with  home.  If  you  can  procure  powders  for 
making  ink  take  them,  as  most  of  the  inks  sold 
are  injured  by  frost,  besides  the  liability  to 
break  your  bottle  when  it  does  freeze. 

A  pocket  compass  is  useful,  and  if  you  take 
one  take  a  good  one,  with  a  needle  not  less 
than  an  inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches  in  length ; 
and  when  selecting,  take  the  needle  which 
takes  the  loiagest  time  to  settle  after  being  put 
oscillating.    The  one  which  settles  quickly  is 


t  I 


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M 


III 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


197 


*:   K! 


useless.  It  may  be  stated  generally  that  the 
magnetic  needle  points  east  of  true  north  from 
thirty-two  and  a  half  degrees  at  Lake  Linder- 
mann  to  thirty-six  at  the  boundary. 

In  moving  about  the  country  a  boat  is  ab- 
solutely necessary.  There  are  no  regular  lines 
of  steamers  on  the  main  river  at  present, 
though  possibly  there  may  be  in  the  coming 
season ;  and  if  there  are,  they  will  only  take  us 
along  the  main  stream  from  one  of  the  minor 
streams  to  another,  as  we  may  desire.  Lauded 
at  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream,  we  require 
some  sort  of  a  boat  to  make  progress  in. 

Now  boats  made  there  are  necessarily  heavy 
and  imperfect  in  construction,  also  of  bad  form. 
I  would  advise  taking  some  light,  easily  port- 
able boat  from  here  or  elsewhere,  as  one  may 
procure  it  easiest  and  b(3st.  In  my  opinion  the 
best  boat  for  general  use  in  that  country  is  of 
the  canoe  form,  many  of  which  are  built  in  tl^e 
Province  of  Ontario  and  elsewhere.  The  pa  t- 
tern  I  would  suggest  is  commonly  known  as  the 
Peterborough,  or  Rice  Lake  canoe,  of  vhich 


■I 


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:k^' 


198 


APPENDIX 


many  kinds  are  '"^ade.  Bass  \.ood  is  the  best 
wood  for  all  round  use.  I  give  the  dimensions 
of  some  of  them. 

A  seventeen  foot  canoe,  forty-one  inches  wide 
and  seventeen  inches  deep,  will  weigh  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty  or  one  hundred  and 
forty  pounds  when  dry.  This  canoe  will  carry 
twelve  or  fourteen  hundredweight,  and  two  or 
three  men.  Of  course  this  will  load  it  pretty 
well,  and  if  our  loud  is  bulky  it  requires  some 
experience  to  stow  it  away  in  a  boat  of  that 
size.    Practice  soon  overcomes  this. 

An  eighteen  foot  canoe,  forty-three  inches 
wide  and  eighteen  inches  deep,  will  weigh  a 
little  more,  and  carry  a  hundred  or  two  hun- 
dred more  pounds  easily. 

A  nineteen  foot  canoe,  forty-six  or  forty-seven 
inches  wide  and  eighteen  inches  deep,  will 
weigh  when  dry  about  one  hundre'1  and  seventy- 
five  or  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds,  and 
will  easily  and  safely  carry  eighteen  or  twenty 
hundredweight  and  two  or  three  men.  Larger 
ones  are  made,  of  which  I  give  some  figures : 


'«i 


!     ! 


mm 


m 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


199 


Length    Width      Depth       Weight        Capacity  Price 

21  ft.  49  ins.   18  ins.   135  lbs.   2,200  lbs.    51  to  57  dols. 

22  „    50  „      18  „      140  „     2,500  „      54  to  60    „ 


23  -,  51  „ 

24  „  62  „ 


23  „  50  „ 
25  „  60  „ 


18  „  145  „  2,700  „ 
18  „  160  „  2,900  „ 


57  to  63 
60  to  66 


♦» 
»» 


Another  make : 


24 


24 


30  „    50  „      24 


275 


300 


360 


»> 


2,850, 12  in.  draft) 
5,120,20     „       >        " 
3,200,12     „ 
6,600, 20    „ 
3,800,12     „ 
6,500,20    „ 


}60  „ 
^75  „ 


The  above  weights  were  furnished  me  by 
the  makers.  The  weights  in  the  paragraphs 
preceding  the  list  are  from  my  own  observa- 
tion, after  the  canoe  had  been  used  awhile.  In 
actual  use  the  water  the  wood  absorbs  will  in- 
crease it  ten  to  twenty  pounds. 

The  freight  rates  on  those  canoes,  from 
where  they  are  made  in  Ontario  to  Vancouver, 
is  about  two  dollars  sixty-live  cents  per  one 
hundred  pounds  space  weight,  with  a  minimum 
weight  charge  of  eight  hundred  pounds ;  or,  in 
other  words,  you  are  charged  for  the  space  the 
boat  occupies.     Now,  by  nesting  them— that  is, 


'■  \ 


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200 


APPENDIX 


taking  several  of  the  different  sizes,  the  smaller 
ones  inside  the  larger  ones,  say  a  twenty- 
two  foot,  twenty-one  foot,  nineteen  foot,  and 
eighteen  foot — space  weight,  crate  and  all, 
about  the  limit — eight  hundred  pounds — costs 
twenty-one  dollars  twenty  cents,  or  about  five 
dollars  thirty  cents  each.  If  you  wish  to  pay 
for  actual  weight  the  charge  is  about  ten  dol- 
lars fifty  cents  per  hundred  pounds.  Nesting  is 
by  far  the  best  way  to  send  them,  and  large 
parties  going  can  have  their  canoes  put  up 
that  way  with  lessened  risk  in  transport,  and 
less  cost  than  if  sent  singly.  This  I  would 
advise  to  be  done. 

In  ordering  a  canoe,  order  with  an  eighteen 
or  nineteen  foot  canoe  five  or  six  good,  speci- 
ally heavy  paddles,  not  less  than  five  feet  nine 
inches  long.  If  any  of  th.^  makers  manufac- 
ture poles  for  poling,  I  would  advise  those  to 
be  taken  along  too.  They  should  be  made  of 
good,  straight-grained  white  ash  or  other  light, 
strong  wood,  from  eight  to  ten  feet  in  length, 
about  one  and  half  inches  thick  at  the  lower 


in 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECIORS 


m 


11 


1  'I 


end  or  point,  tapering  to  about  one  and  a 
quarter  or  one  and  an  eighth  at  the  top,  on 
which  a  round  knob  should  be  left,  say  one 
and  a  half  inches  in  diameter.  The  point 
should  have  a  socket  steel  point  put  on  over 
the  wood  and  fastened  to  it  with  a  screw,  so  as 
to  be  easily  taken  off.  These  will  prove  con- 
venient on  our  journeys  for  other  uses  than 
poling,  and  much  more  durable  and  handy 
than  any  we  may  get  in  the  country. 

Also  procure  a  canvas  cover  of  sufficient  size 
to  cover  the  canoe  completely,  so  made  that  it 
can  be  fastened  down  when  neceswary  and  pre- 
vent wind  blowing  it  away.  This  may  be  or- 
dered from  the  makers  with  advantage,  they 
having  the  benefit  of  their  own  and  others' 
experience.  It  will  prove  very  useful,  and 
often  save  us  unloading  our  boat  during  a  rainy 
period. 

Down  stream  in  one  of  these  boats  is  easy 
work.  In  making  our  way  ap  stream  we  have 
to  resort  generally  to  poling  or  tracking,  as 
the  current  is  generally  too  swift  to  be  sur- 


1  I 

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202 


APPENDIX 


mounted  by  paddling.  Poles  can  be  got  in  the 
conntrj',  but  if  they  can  be  procured  at  the 
makers,  as  above  stated,  by  all  means  take 
them.  Unless  they  are  iron-shod  they  soon 
what  is  called  '  brush '  at  the  point,  that  is,  the 
soft  wood  bruises  a.^d  gets  brushy.  This  has  to 
be  cut  oflf  from  time  to  time,  and  the  pole  is  soon 
reduced  in  length  by  this  constant  wearing. 
By  all  means  get  them  iron  pointod,  or  steel  is 
still  better.  Several  kinds  of  points  are  made, 
but  a  good  blacksmith  will  easily  and  quickly 
turn  out  a  half-dozen  or  more  socket  points,  to 
be  fastened  on  with  a  screw  or  nail  at  very  lit- 
tle expense  ;  and  any  kind,  so  long  as  it  covers 
the  end  of  the  pole,  and  is  capable  of  being 
securely  fastened  to  it,  is  good  enough. 

In  poling  the  boat  or  canoe,  the  poler  stands 
up,  puts  the  end  of  his  pole  to  the  bottom  and 
shoves  on  it,  the  man  in  the  stern  steering  the 
canoe  as  may  be  desired,  while  still  shoving. 
To  the  uninitiated  this  is  a  very  difficult  and 
laborious  work,  but  a  little  practice  soon  gets 
one  into  the  knack  of  it,  and  it  is  wonderful 


>sii 


fl 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


203 


how  a  boat  can  be  propelled  by  two  or  three 
men  who  are  accustomed  to  tais  work.  As 
much  as  thirty  or  thirty-five  miles  per  day 
has  been  done,  but  the  unaccustomed  would 
probably  tire  themselves  out  in  one-third  of 
that. 

Where  the  water  is  deep — that  is,  more  than 
three  feet,  which  is  a  fair  depth, — or  where 
the  bottom  is  too  soft  for  poling,  as  in  mud  the 
pole  sinks  into  it  and  is  difficult  to  withdraw, 
(in  fact,  the  withdrawal  often  nullifies  the 
effect  of  the  push,  and  the  boat  stands  still, 
and  the  beach  is  suitable  for  walking  on,)  we 
resort  to  tracking, — that  is,  a  small,  strong  line 
is  attached  to  the  side  of  the  boat  some  three 
to  six  feet  from  the  bow ;  another  line,  called 
a  bridle,  is  fastened  to  the  bow  and  to  the 
hauling  line  four  or  more  feet  forward  from 
where  it  is  attached  to  the  boat.  If  this  line 
is  properly  attached,  the  boat  will  steer  itself. 
The  hauling  line  being  attached  to  the  side  of 
the  boat  tends  to  draw  the  bow  out  so  that  she 
will  run  across  stream,  but  the  bridle  counter- 


« I 


f  : 


\  i 


^ 


204 


APPENDIX 


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tfiliil  T^^ 


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acts  this,  and  with  proper  adjustment  the  re- 
sult is  that  the  boat  follows  along  a  few  feet 
out  from  the  shore.  It  requires  very  little 
attention  from  the  man  steering, — in  fact,  the 
only  attention  he  bestows  on  it  is  to  see  chat 
it  avoids  rocks,  trees,  and  other  obstacles 
along  the  beach,  and  in  rounding  points  he 
has  to  manipulate  the  boat  to  keep  her  away 
from  the  point. 

This  is  by  far  the  easier  mode  of  taking  a 
boat  up  stream.  Two  men  hauling  on  a  line 
on  a  fair  beach  will  walk  from  two  and  a  half 
to  three  miles  per  hour,  if  they  so  desire,  and 
haul  the  boat  up  bad  places  with  comparative 
ease.  I  have  seen  a  boat  taken  iip  a  pretty 
steep  rapids  in  this  way  at  a  good  smart  rate. 
After  the  pair  on  the  line  have  kept  up  this 
gait  for  half-an-hour  or  an  hour  they  become 
warm  and  somewhat  tired.  With  a  pa-rty  of 
four  the  two  in  the  boat  change  places  with 
those  on  the  line,  taking  a  similar  spell,  as  it 
is  called,  and  those  on  the  line  take  their 
places  in  the  boat.     When  the  last  two  become 


ir^tf'' 


.,. '  y' 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


206 


tired  and  warm  they  take  a  spell  in  the  boat 
again,  and  so  on. 

Thus,  between  hauling  and  resting,  they 
can  keep  up  a  good  smart  gait  without  fatigu- 
ing themselves  very  much.  Four  lively,  good 
men,  along  a  fair  beach,  will  generally  be  able 
to  haul  a  boat  or  canoe,  such  as  I  have  de- 
scribed, twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  per  day, 
and  at  the  end  not  feel  nearly  8(  fatigued  as 
paddling  or  poling  would  make  them.  A 
greater  number,  of  course,  will  have  an  easier 
time,  and  less  a  harder  time,  but  two  men  can 
do  a  good  day's  work  in  this  way.  Myself  and 
a  man  have  made  twenty-four  miles  up  stream 
in  a  day  in  this  way,  and  made  a  survey  while 
doing  it. 

The  line  should  be  light  and  very  strong. 
To  haul  an  eighteen  or  nineteen  foot  canoe  of 
forty-five  or  forty-eight  inch  beam,  with  ten 
or  twelve  hundredweight  and  two  men,  the 
line  should  not  be  more  than  one-eighth  of  an 
inch  in  thickness.  Of  course,  its  quality  should 
be  first-class.    There  are  lines  made  which  suit 


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sno 


APPENDIX 


this  purpose  admirably,  known  as  cod-lines.  I 
cannot  give  the  numbers  of  the  various  iSizes, 
but  simply  say  a  line  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
thick  is  sufficient  to  haul  a  boat  of  that  size 
■with  a  load  anywhere  that  a  boat  can  be 
taken. 

Of  coiirse,  ?.  heavier  boat  requires  a  some- 
what heavier  line,  but  I  have  seen  boats  forty 
to  forty-five  feet  long  and  nine  fe'^t  beam, 
loaded  with  eight  or  ten  tons,  drawing  two 
teet  of  water,  hauled  up  strong  currents  by  a 
line  not  more  than  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in 
thickness.  The  objection  to  a  heavier  lii.e  is 
that  its  weight  sags  it,  and  unless  the  current 
is  very  strong  it  is  continually  sinking  into 
the  waler,  which  increases  its  weight.  This 
renders  i.  liable  to  catch  on  sticks,  tree-tops, 
rocks,  or  other  things  which  are  generally 
f  3und  plentifully  strewn  along  the  river  banks. 
The  men  on  shore  will  soon  acquire  the  knack 
of  flinging  the  line  over  any  obstacle  of  thtt 
kind,  providing  it  is  not  too  L  .avy.  A  sharp, 
upward  .ierk  will  hoist  it  feet  above  anything 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


207 


we  desire  to  avoid,  if  given  at  the  right  time. 
To  do  this  the  bow  of  the  canoe  should  be 
turned  across  current,  just  before  the  line  is 
thrown  up.  This  holds  the  canoe  out  against 
the  effect  of  the  pull  on  the  line.  OftcT'  a  high 
tree-top  or  other  obstacle  can  be  passed  easily 
by  turning  the  boat  out  into  the  current ;  this 
runs  her  up  and  out,  so  that  if  the  obstacle  is 
close  to  shore  it  is  passed  without  any  atten- 
tion from  th«  men  hauling. 

Care  should  be  taken  when  the  boat  is  run- 
ning up  in  an  eddy  below  a  point,  with  a  swift 
current  rushing  past  it,  to  enter  the  boat  or 
canoe  into  the  current  as  nearly  as  possible 
bow  on,  and  not  across  the  current ;  by  enter- 
ing this  way  into  the  current  gradually,  no 
time  is  lost  and  no  risk  is  run.  I  have  known 
several  boats  to  be  swamped  by  running  them 
up  the  eddy  as  far  as  possible,  and  suddenly 
turning  them  into  the  swift  current ;  the  result 
being  the  water  boiled  over  the  side  of  the 
boat  and  filled  lier.  Had  the  men  given  way 
on  the  hauling    line  in    time  this  would  not 


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208 


APPENDIX 


havp  liappene^,  or  had  the  lin«  pa^rted  as  a 
light  line  would  have  done,  all  wonrtlid  have 
been  well. 

I  call  particular  attention  to  this  and  its 
attendant  risks.  A  little  practice  will  soon  en- 
able one  to  do  this.  Take  plenty  of  line  for 
that  purpose,  but  do  not  take  it  too  heavy.  As 
a  rule,  not  less  than  sixty  feet  of  line  should  be 
out,  even  under  the  best  conditions,  and  in 
rough  water,  or  along  a  bad  «hore,  more  i«  re- 
quired. Not  less  than  one  hundred  dJuA  twen- 
ty feet  should  be  ready  for  use  vtuan  re^juired. 
so  fastened  that  whenever  required  it  can  be 
let  out  quickly  and  free  from  knots  and  twists. 
There  are  several  ways  of  doing  this.  One  is 
to  have  the  line  wound  around  a  reel  or  bit  of 
board  at  the  front  end,  which  the  hauling  man 
can  pay  out  as  he  deems  necessary,  and  wind 
in  again  when  he  sees  fit.  Cotton  line  is  un- 
suitable. The  water  has  a  bad  effect  on  it. 
It  soon  cuts  and  rots,  and  is  not  so  strong  as 
good  jute  line. 


[  ill  I 


i'\ 


HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


209 


TENTS. 


•i   \ 


Of  course  each  cue  lias  his  own  idea  of  a 
tent,  but  experience  has  taught  rae  that  the 
simpler  the  tent  is  in  construction  the  better. 
I  would  suggest  a  bell  tent  not  less  than  ten 
feet  in  diameter,  with  a  ten  ounce  duck  roof, 
and  an  eight  ounce  duck  wall.  The  wall  to  be 
two  and  a  half  or  three  feet  in  height,  with  a 
f :  jt  or  more  of  sod  cloth.  The  pitch  of  the 
tent  should  be  pretty  sharp,  to  throw  off  the 
rain.  I  would  not  have  it  loss  than  nine  or  ten 
feet  in  height.  Better  than  this,  a  square  tent, 
called  the  '  Egyptian  '  tent,  ten  feet  on  each 
side,  with  a  ten  ounce  roof  and  eight  ounce 
wall,  as  in  the  bell  tent.  Of  course  a  smaller 
t<jnt  may  be  ordered,  but  this  will  prove  a 
good  serviceable  size,  and  will  not  be  too 
heavy  to  pack  around,  anu  will  accommodate 
three  or  four  men  conveniently.  The  square, 
or  Egyptian  tent  will  accommodate  four  men 
and  quite  an  amount  of  outfit.      One  man  can 

P 


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i 

ii 

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!  i  J 

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210 


APPENDIX 


t 

i 


II  1 


hoist  one  of  these  tents  readily  by  driving  in 
four  stakes  in  the  form  of  a  square  at  the  pro- 
per distance  apart,  fastening  four  of  hif?  guy 
lines  on  them,  inserting  his  pole,  and  raising 
the  tent.  Afterwards  he  can  adjust  the  other 
guy  lines  and  fasten  them  as  required.  A  pole 
can  always  be  got ;  it '  needless  to  carry  them. 
I  would  advise  a  large  party  taking  several 
of  these  tents  instead  of  one  large  one.  They 
are  easier  to  carry  about,  and  the  party  can 
separate,  break  itself  into  units,  so  to  speak, 
for  prospecting  purposes.  For  a  party  of  two 
a  smaller  tent  will  do.  Tents  should  be  pro- 
vided before  entry.  Material  for  their  con- 
struction is  expensive,  and  the  supply  limited 
in  that  country.  The  cost  of  making  them  is 
also  much  more  than  here.  If  possible,  have 
the  door  made  mosquito-proof.  This  is  easily 
done  by  attaching  a  piece  of  cotton  gauze  or 
very  light  cotton  cloth  to  each  side  of  the 
door,  which  can  be  folded  together  and  tied  up 
with  tape  fastened  to  the  walls  to  support  it. 
This  will  prove  a  great  comfort.     To  exclude 


hlNl'S  TO  PnOS/'BCTORS 


211 


ill 


iil 


them  eflfectually  we  must  load  down  our  sod 
cloth  well,  or  they  will  make  entry  that  way. 
They  will  get  in  in  most  surprising  ways  and 
places. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  say,  make  your  outfit 
as  simple  and  serviceable  as  possible.  Do  not 
meddle  with  notions,  designed  to  overcome 
this,  that,  or  the  other  difficulty,  as  hey  very 
often  create  more  trouble  than  that  Ave  lake 
them  to  obviate.  Metallic  boats  I  would 
specially  warn  against.  They  may  be  light, 
capacious,  and  useful,  but  they  are  easily 
fractured  and  difficult  to  mend,  while  a  Avooden 
boat  can  be  mended  at  almost  any  time  and 
place,  nd  breaks  and  fractures  may  be  confi- 
dently looked  forward  to.  If  bass  wood  canoes 
are  taken,  some  pieces  of  the  planking  should 
be  taken  along  for  mending  with.  Some  rough 
lengths,  which  would  not  be  of  much  service 
in  the  construction  of  a  boat  or  canoe,  can 
easily  be  carried  in  the  l)ottom. 

When  a  break  is  made  in  a  canoe,  if  the 
parts  are  not  too  muc  h  fractured,  they  may  be 

P  ? 


11 


1:1 


I  ^ 


w 

'  I'        1 


212 


APPENDIX 


coated  with  white  lead  on  the  broken  edges, 
pushed  back  to  their  original  positions,  a  piece 
of  the  planking  cut  to  overlap  the  fracture, 
coated  with  white  lead,  put  over  it  on  the 
inside  and  nailed  and  clinched  tight  to  it. 
This  makes  it  as  strong  as  ever.  Should  the 
break  be  too  bad  to  do  this  with,  the  fractured 
parts  should  be  cut  out  neatly  with  a  bevel  on 
the  cut  edge  ;  a  piece  of  planking  cut  bevelled 
edge  to  fit  this  hole  is  put  into  it,  after  coating 
the  edge  with  white  lead,  and  another  piece 
put  over  it  on  the  inside,  as  before,  so  as  to 
lap  over  the  cut  joint,  and  nailed  and  clinched, 
will  make  the  boat  as  sound  as  new,  and  it  is 
only  the  Avork  of  an  hour  or  less. 


t<  I' 


•  .* 


MINING   METHODS. 

Bed-rock  prospecting  necessarily  has  to  be 
reserved  for  the  winter.  First  the  moss  has 
to  be  cleared  away,  and  then  the  muck  or  de- 
cayed vegetable  mould  has  to  be  picked  away 
for  a  depth  of  two  or  three  feet.     After  two  or 


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r  two  or 


three  f<  ^  in  depth  lias  been  picked  out,  a  fire 
is  built  in  this  '  hole,*  as  it  is  termed,  in  the 
evening.  In  the  morning  the  ground  which 
has  been  thawed  by  the  fire  is  shovelled  out, 
and  in  the  afternoon  wood  for  another  fire 
procured ;  in  the  evening  another  fire  is  built, 
the  ground  thawed  by  this  is  the  following 
morning  shovelled  out — and  so  on  until  bed- 
rock is  reached.  Six,  eig'it,  ten,  and  twelve 
feet  of  the  surface  is  decayed  vegetable  mat- 
ter and  alluvial  deposit  of  sand  in  the  clay, 
termed  by  the  miners  '  muck.'  As  soon  as 
gravel  is  struck,  prospecting  is  commenced — 
that  is,  a  pan  or  two  of  the  dirt  is  washed  to 
determine  whether  it  is  worth  keeping  or  not, 
as  the  refuse  is  thrown  on  one  side  of  the  hole, 
and  the  paying  dirt  on  the  other.  Near  to  and 
on  bed-rock  the  pay  is  found,  which  is  gener- 
ally not  more  than  two  or  three  feet  deep. 
With  reference  to  the  so-called  iimck — all  the 
way  through  it  trees  are  found  lying  in  every 
direction.  These  trees  are  of  the  same  kinds 
of  wood,  and  present  the  same  appearances  of 


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growth  as  thoso  to-day  growing  on  the  sur- 
face. Tlie  gold  deposit,  or  pay  dirt,  was 
probably  made  thousands  of  years  ago,  yet  in 
it  we  find  tlie  bones  of  animals  which  are  still 
quite  common  in  the  district,  and  of  others 
which  are  found  farther  to  the  south.  Bed- 
rock, and  the  gravel  above  it,  show  no  evi- 
dence of  glaciation ;  the  gold  itself  bears  no 
evidence  of  glaciation.  Now,  a  few  words  on 
the  manner  of  getting  out  the  dirt  in  this 
region.  As  soon  as  the  ground  is  sufficiently 
frozen  to  enable  work  to  be  started  without 
interference  from  water,  a  hole  is  suuk  to  bed- 
rock. The  time  this  takes  is  measared  by  the 
depth  of  the  hole,  one  foot  per  day  being 
counted  fair  work.  Should  bed-rock  be 
reached  without  finding  prospects,  another 
hole  has  to  be  sunk  in  the  same  way,  and  this 
process  continued  until  pay  is  struck.  One 
claim-holder  may  locate  pay  at  the  first  hole ; 
the  man  adjoining  may  have  to  sink  many. 
The  pay  streak  is  seldom  more  than  three  feet 
in    depth.      On    the  side   of    the    hole  which 


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HINTS  TO  PROSPECTORS 


215 


shows  the  best  indications  a  fire  is  placed, 
which  thaws  out  a  few  inches  on  that  wall  to 
a  height  of  forty-five  feet.  The  pay  dirt  is 
placed  in  a  'dump,'  and  soon  freezes  solid. 
In  this  way  the  pay  streak  is  taken  from 
underneath. 


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A  TABLE  OF  DISTANCES 

FROM    VARIOUS    STARTING-rOINTS    TO    THE 
KLONDYKE. 

The  following  tabic  of  distances  from  Cana- 
dian points  to  Dawson  City  by  the  various 
routes  will  be  of  interest  to  intending  gold- 
seekers  : — 


STRICKEEN  ROUTE. 

Vancouver  to  Fort  Wrangel  (ocean)    - 
Fort  Wrangel  to  Glenora  (river) 
Glenora  to  Lake  Teslin  (trail  or  waggon) 
I'eslin  to  Fort  Selkirk  (lake  and  river) 
Fort  Selkirk  to  Stewart  River  (river)  - 
Stewart  River  to  Dawson  City  (river) 

Total  distance 


DYEA  AND  CmLCOOT  PASS. 


Vancouver  to  Dyea 
Mouth  of  Canyon 
Sheep  Camp 


Miles 

700 
125 
145 
400 
105 
67 

1,542 


Miles 

995 
8 
3 


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A  TABLE  OF  DISTANCES 

Summit  of  Chllooot  Pass    - 

Crater  Lake 

Lake  Lindormann  Ljinding 

Foot  of  Lake  Linderinann  -         -         . 

Head  of  Lake  Bennett         -         -  . 

Boundary  line  hetwcen  B.  C.  and  N.  W.  T. 

Foot  of  Lake  Bennett  ... 

Caribou  Crossing  (Lake  Nares)  - 

Foot  of  Tagish  Lake 

Head  of  Marsh  Lake .... 

Foot  of  Marsh  Lake  .... 
Head  of  Canyon         .... 

Foot  of  Canyon         .         .         .         .         . 

Head  of  White  Horse  Rapids 

Foot  of  White  Horse  Rapids 

Head  of  Lake  Lcbar<re        -         -         .         . 

Foot  of  Lake  Lebarge         -         -         .         . 

Hootalinqua  (Toslin)  River 

Big  Salmon  River      -         -         .         .         . 

Little  Salmon  River  -         -         -         .  . 

Five  Fingers  Rapids  -         .         -         . 

Pelly  River 

White  River 

Sixty-Mile  Creek 

Dawson  City     ---... 

T )tal  (iiitance   -         -         . 


217 

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15.76 
2.59 
16.81 
4.90 
19.06 
25.73 
0.62 
0.39 
0.38 
13.15 
31.16 
31.66 
33.45 
36.21 
59.29 
58.46 
95.80 
21.50 
45.29 


1,372.89 


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APPENDIX 


DALTON  TRAIL. 


Vancouver  to  Chilcat  Inlet 
Chilcat  Inlet  to  Fort  Selkirk 
Fort  Selkirk  to  Dawson  City 

Total  distance 


Hilaa 
1,000 

300 

172 

1,472 


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SKAGUAY  ROUTE. 

Uilas 
Vancouver  to  Skaguay  (water)   -        -        -         995 

Skaguay  to  Tagish  Lake  (pack  trail)  -         -  66 

Tagish  Lake  to  Dawson  City,  same  as  Dyea  route  520 


Total  distance 


1,681 


,s 


ST.  MICHAEL'S  ROUTE. 

Vancouver  to  St.  Michaers  (ocean) 
St.  Michael's  to  Dawson  City  (river) 

Total  distance 

EDMONTON  ROUTE. 

Edmonton  to  Athabasca  Landing  (waggon)  - 
Athabasca  Landing  to  Grand  Rapids  (river) 
Grand  Rapids  to  Fort  McMurray  (river) 
Fort  McMurray  to  Smith's  Landing  (river) 
Smith's  Landing  to  Fort  Smith  (river) 


Miles 

2,800 
1,650 

4,450 


Milee 

90 
167 

87 
287 

16 


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iP«SMi 


A  TABLE  OF  DlSTiNCES  219 

Fort  Smith  to  Fort  Resolution  (river)          -  194 

Fort  Resolution  to  Fort  Providence  (river)  -  168 

Fort  Providence  to  Fort  Simpson  (river)       -  161 

Fort  Simpson  to  Fort  Wrigley  (river)  -         -  136 

Fort  Wrigley  to  Fort  Norman  (river)          -  184 

Fort  Norman  to  Fort  Good  Hope  (river)     -  174 

Fort  Good  Hope  to  Fort  Macpherson  (river)  60 

Fort  Macpherson  to  Lapierre  House  (river)  -  250 

Lapierre  House  to  the  Porcupine  (trail)       -  20 

Porcupine  to  Fort  Yukon  (river)         -         -  400 

Fort  Yukon  to  Dawson  City  (river)    -        -  303 

Total  distance         -         -  2,697 

PRINCE  ALBERT  ROUTE. 

Mtlfli 

Pnnce  Albert  to  Green  Lake  (waggon)       -  140 

Green  Lake  to  Portage  la  Roche  (river)    -  220 

Portage  la  Roche  to  Clearwater  River  (road)  12 

Clearwater  River  to  Fort  McMurray  (river)  80 

Fort  McMurray  to  Dawson  City  (river  and  trail)  2, 
(Via  Fort  Macpherson  and  Porcupine  river, 
same  as  Edmonton  route) 


Total  distance 

EDMONTON-PEACE  RIVER  ROUTE. 

Edmonton  to  Peace  River  Crossing  (trail) 
Crossing  to  Forks  at  Nelson  (trails   - 


2,805 


Mll«8 

260 
240 


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APPENDIX 


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Down  Nelson  to  Liard  (river)  -         -        -  120 

Up  Liard  to  Dease  (river  and  trail)  -         -  160 

Dease  River  to  Pelly  River  (river  and  trail)  170 

Pelly  River  to  Fort  Selkirk      ...  220 

Fort  Selkirk  to  Dawson  City    .         -        -  172 

Total  distance      -  1,342 


ASHCROFT. 

Ashcroft  to  Quesnelle  (stage)    ... 
Quesnelle  to  Hazleton,  on  the  Skeona  River 

(traU) 

Hazleton  to  Telegraph  Creek  (trail)  . 
Telegraph  Creek  to  Teslin  Lake  (trail) 
Teslin  Lake  to  Dawson  City  (lake  and  river) 

Total  distance 


Mi'et 

220 


300 
240 
145 
572 

1,477 


li  i 


221 


REGULATIONS 

GOVERNING  PLACER  MINING  IN  THE  PROVISIONAL 
DISTRICT  OF  YUKON.  NORTH-WEST  TERRITORIES 

(Approved  b,  Order  in  C^ncil  of  Jamanj  IHth,  1898 J 
INTERPRETATION. 

'Free  Miner 'shall  mean  a  male  or  female 
over  the  age  of  eighteen,  but  not  under  that 
age  ;  or  joint  stock  company,  named  in,  and 
lawfully  possessed  of,  a  valid  existing  free 
miner's  certificate,  and  no  other. 

'  Legal  post '  shall  mean  a  stake  standing 
not  less  than  lour  feet  above  the  ground,  and 
flatted  on  two  sides  for  at  least  one  foot  from 
the  top.  Both  sides  so  flatted  shall  measure 
at  least  four  inches  across  the  face.  It  shall 
also  mean  any  stump  or  tree  cut  off  and 
flatted  or  faced  to  the  above  height  and 
size. 


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APPENDIX 


'  Close  season '  shall  mean  the  period  of  \he 
year  during  which  placer  mining  is  generally 
suspended.  The  period  to  be  fixed  by  the 
Mining  Recorder  in  whose  district  the  claim  is 
situated. 

'Mineral'  shall  include  all  minerals  what- 
soever other  than  coal. 

*. Joint  Stock  Company*  shall  mean  any 
company  incorporated  for  mining  purposes 
under  a  Canadian  charter,  or  licensed  by  the 
Government  of  Canada. 

'  Mining  Recorder '  shall  mean  the  official 
appointed  by  the  Gold  Commissioner  to  record 
applications  and  grant  entries  for  claims  in 
the  Mining  Divisions  into  which  the  Com- 
missioner may  divide  the  Yukon  District. 

FREE   MINERS   AND   THEIR   PRIVILEGES. 

1.  Every  person  over,  but  not  under  eigh- 
teen years  of  age,  and  every  joint  stock  com- 
pany, shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  rights  and 
privileges  of  a  free  miner,  under  these  regula- 
tions and  under  the    regulations    governing 


MINING  REGULATIONS 


92S 


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quartz  mining,  and  shall  be  considered  a  free 
miner  upon  taking  out  a  free  miner's  certifi- 
cate. A  free  miner  s  certificate  issued  to  a 
joint  stock  company  shall  be  issued  in  its  cor- 
porate name.  A  free  miner's  certificate  shall 
not  be  transferable. 

2.  A  free  miner's  certificate  may  be  granted 
for  one  year  to  run  from  the  date  thereof  or 
from  the  expiration  of  the  applicant's  then 
existing  certificate,  upon  the  payment  therefor 
of  the  sum  often  dollars,  unless  the  certificate  is 
to  be  issued  in  favour  of  a  joint  stock  company, 
in  which  case  the  fee  shall  be  fifty  dollars  for  a 
company  having  a  nominal  capital  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  or  less,  and  for  a  company 
having  a  nominal  capital  exceeding  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  the  fee  shall  be  one 
hundred  dollars.  Only  one  person  or  joint 
stock  company  shall  be  named  in  the  certifi- 
cate. 

3.  A  free  miner's  certificate  shall  be  on  the 
following  form : 


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224 


APPENDIX 


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DOMINION  OF  CANADA. 

FREE     miner's    CERTIFICATE. 

(Non-transferable.) 

Date No 

Valid  for  one  year  only. 

This  is  to  certify  that of 

has  paid  me  this  day  the 

sum  of and  is  entitled  to  all  the 

rights  and  privileges  of  a  free  miner,  under 
any  mining  regulations  of  the  Government  of 

Canada,  for  one  year  from  the day  of 

18  .  .  . 


1     1; 


This  certificate  shall  also  grant  to  the  holder 
thereof  the  privilege  of  fishing  and  shooting, 
subject  to  the  provisions  of  any  Act  which  has 
been  passed,  or  which  may  hereafter  be  passed 
for  the  protection  of  game  and  fish ;  also  the 
privilege  of  cutting  timber  for  actual  necessi- 
ties, for  building  houses,  boats,  and  for  general 
mining  operations;  such  timber,  however,  to 
be  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  miner  himself. 


FE. 


of 

day  the 
;o  all  the 
3r,  under 
:nmeiit  of 
I.  .  day  of 

he  holder 
shooting, 
(rhich  has 
e  passed 
also  the 
necessi- 
r  general 
irever,  to 
himself, 


MINING  REGULATIONS  Ml 

but  such  permission  shall  not  extend  to  timber 
which  may  have  been  heretofore  or  which 
may  hereafter  be  granted  to  other  persons  or 
corporations. 

4.  Free  miner's  certificates  may  be  obtained 
by  applicants  in  person  at  the  Department  of 
the  Interior,  Ottawa,  or  from  the  agents  of 
Dominion  Lands  at  Winnipeg,  Manitoba ;  Cal- 
gary, Edmonton,  Prince  Albert,  in  the  North- 
west Territories;  Kamloops  and  New  West- 
minster, in  the  Province  of  British  Columbia  ; 
at  Dawson  City,  in  the  Yukon  District;  also 
from  agents  of  the  Government  at  Vancouver 
and  Victoria,  British  Columbia,  and  at  other 
places  which  may  from  time  to  time  be  named 
by  the  ilinister  of  the  Interior. 

5.  If  any  person  or  joint  stock  company 
shall  apply  for  a  free  miner's  certificate  at  the 
agent's  office  during  his  absence,  and  shall 
leave  the  fee  required  by  these  regulations 
with  the  officer  or  other  person  in  charge  of 
said  office,  he  or  it  shall  be  entitled  to  have 
such  certificate  from  the  date  of  such  applica- 

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APPENDIX 


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tion ;  and  any  free  miner  shall  at  any  time  be 
entitled  to  obtain  a  free  miner's  certificate 
commencing  to  run  from  the  expiration  of  his 
then  existing  free  miner's  certificate,  provided 
that  when  he  applies  for  such  certificate  he 
shall  produce  to  the  agent,  or  in  case  of  his 
absence  shall  leave  with  the  officer  or  other 
person  in  charge  of  the  agent's  office,  such 
existing  certificate. 

6.  If  any  free  miner's  certificate  be  ac- 
cidentally destroyed  or  lost,  the  owner  thereof 
may,  on  payment  of  a  fee  of  two  dollars,  have 
a  true  copy  of  it,  signed  by  the  agent,  or  other 
person  by  whom  or  out  of  whose  office  the 
original  was  issued.  Every  such  copy  shall 
be  marked  *  Substituted  Certificate  * ;  and  un- 
less some  material  irregularity  be  shown  in 
respect  thereof,  every  original  or  substituted 
free  miner's  certificate  snail  be  evidence  of  all 
matters  therein  contained. 

7.  No  person  or  joint  stock  company  will 
be  recognized  as  having  any  right  or  interest 
in  or  to  any  placer  claim,  quartz  claim,  min- 


MINING  REGULATIONS 


827 


ing  lease,  bed-rock  flumo  grand,  or  any  miner- 
als in  any  ground  comprised  therein,  or  in  or 
to  any  water  right,  mining  ditch,  drain,  timnel, 
or  flume,  unless  he  or  it  and   every  person  in 
his  or  its  employment  shall  have  a  free  miner's 
certificate  unexpired.     And  on  the  expiration 
of  a  free  miner's  certificate  the     o^vner  thereof 
shall  absolutely  forfeit  all  his  rights  and  inter- 
est in  or  to  any  placer    claim,  mining  lease, 
bed-rock  flume  grant,  and   any  minerals  in  any 
ground  comprised  therein,  and  in  or  to  any  and 
every  water  right,  mining  ditch,  drain,  tunnel, 
or  flume,  which  may  be  held  or  claimed  by 
such  owner  of  such  expired  free  miner's  certifi- 
cate, unless  such  owner  shall,  on   or  before  the 
day  following  the  expiration  of  such  certificate, 
obtain  a  new  free  miner's  certificate.     Provid- 
ed, nevertheless,  that  should  any  co-owner  fail 
to  keep  up  his  free   miner's  certificate,  such 
failure  shall  not  cause  a  forfeiture  or  act  as  an 
abandonment  of  the  claim,  but  the  interest  of  the 
co-owner  who  shall  fail   to  keep  up  his  free 
miner's  certificate,  sliall,  ipso  facio^  be  and  be- 

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APPENDIX 


'■i' ', 


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come  vested  in  his  co-owners,  pro  ratut  accord- 
ing to  their  foraier  interests ;  provided,  never- 
theless, that  a  shareholder  in  a  joint  stock  com- 
pany need  not  be  a  free  miner,  and,  though 
not  a  free  minor,  shall  be  entitled  to  buy,  sell, 
hold,  or  dispose  of  any  shares  therein. 

8.  Every  free  miner  shall,  during  the  contin- 
uance of  his  certificate,  but  not  longer,  have 
the  right  to  enter,  locate,  prospect,  and  mine 
for  gold  and  other  minerals  upon  any  lands  in 
the  Yukon  District,  whether  vested  in  the 
Crown  or  otherwise,  except  upon  Government 
reservations  for  town  sites,  land  which  is  occu- 
pied by  any  building,  and  any  land  falling 
within  the  curtilage  of  any  dwelling  house,  and 
any  land  'v^wfully  occupied  for  placer  mining 
purposes,  and  also  Indian  reservations. 

9.  Previous  to  any  entry  being  made  upon 
lands  lawfully  occupied,  such  free  miner  shall 
give  adequate  security  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  Mining  Recorder,  for  any  loss  or  damage 
which  may  be  caused  by  such  entry ;  and 
after  such   entry  he    shall   make    full    com- 


MIMJNO  REGULATIONS 


229 


pcnsation  to  the  occiipa  \t  or  owner  of  such 
lands  for  any  loss  or  damage  which  may  be 
caused  by  reason  of  such  entry ;  such  compen- 
sation, in  case  of  dispute,  to  be  determined  by  a 
court  having  jurisdiction  in  mining  disputes 
with  or  without  a  jury. 


NATURE  AND  SIZE  OP  CLAIMS 

10.  A  creek  or  gulch  claim  shall  be  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  long  measured  in  the  general 
direction  of  the  creek  or  gulch.  The  boundaries 
of  the  claim  which  run  in  the  general  direction 
of  the  creek  or  gulch  shall  be  lines  along  bed  or 
rim  rock  three  feet  higher  than  the  rim  or  edge 
of  the  creek,  or  the  lowest  general  level  of  the 
gulch  within  the  claim,  so  drawn  or  marked  as 
to  be  at  every  point  three  feet  above  the  rim  or 
edge  of  the  creek  or  the  lowest  general  le^''el  of 
the  gulch,  opposite  to  it  at  right  angles  to  the 
general  direction  of  the  claim  for  its  length,  but 
such  boundaries  shall  not  in  any  case  exceed 
one  thousand  feet  on  each  side  of  the  centre 


1 1 

I- 

11 


U 


i: 


230 


APPENDIX 


?i. 


}\  r  ^^i 


of  the  stream  or  gulch.     (See  Diagram  No.  1.) 

11.  If  tlio  boundaries  be  less  than  one  hun- 
dred feet  apart  horizontally,  they  shall  be  lines 
traced  along  bed  or  rim  rock  one  hundred  feet 
apart  horizontally,  following  as  nearly  as 
practicable  the  direction  of  the  valley  for  the 
length  of  the  claim.    (See  Diagram  No.  2.) 

12.  A  river  claim  shall  be  situated  only  on 
one  side  of  the  river,  and  shall  not  exceed  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  measured  in 
the  general  direction  of  the  river.     The  other 
boundary  of  the  claim  which  runs  in  the  gene- 
ral direction  of  the  river  shall  be  lines  along 
bed  or  rim  rock  three  feet  higher  than  the  rim 
or  edge  of  the  river  within  the  claim,  so  drawn 
or  marked  as  to  be  at  every  point  three  feet 
above  the  rim  or  edge  of  the  river  opposite  to 
it  at  right  angles  to  the  general  direction  of 
the  claim  for  its  length ;  but  such  boundaries 
shall  not  in  any  case  be  less  than  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet,  or  exceed  a  distance  of  one  thou- 
sand feet  from  low  water  mark  of  the  river. 
(See  Diagram  No.  3.) 


'H' 


I,; 


ill 


MINING  REGULATIONS 


231 


OIAORAM  Na  I 

PLAN  or  CREEK  OR  OULCM  CLAIM 


•ECnONAL  PLAN  OP  A  CREEK  CLAIM. 


aeOTIONAL  PLAN  OF  A  QULCH  CLAIM. 


i  ♦( 


lii 

'  .       !  1 


>   111 


^,1 

I 


i, 


II      1 


I!  ■'')    ' 
!     It. 


hi 


i   i 


!  •'I'' 


f«' 


232 


APPENDIX 


DIAGRAM  NO.  2. 

PLAN  aHCWINO  SIDE  BOUNOAHIU 
MM)  rCET  APART 

100    f**t 


LtM  TMAM 


n  i 


.  V 


\  ■. 


1 


OIAQRAM  NO  3. 

•CCnONAk   PLAN  OF   A  fllVER   CLAIM. 


;  I 


OlAGftAM  No    4, 
■nowino  mow  claims  are  to  se  staked. 

PLAN  OF  A  CREEK  OP  OULCH  CLAIM 


*< 


PLAN  Of  A  RIVER  CLAM. 


m' 


,^I  ' 


i 


MINING  REGULATIONS  283 

13.  A  '  hill  claim  *  shall  not  exceed  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  in  length,  drawn  parallel  to 
the  main  direction  of  the  stream  or  ravine  on 
which  it  fronts.  Parallel  lines  drawn  from  each 
end  of  the  base  line  at  right  angles  thereto, 
and  running  to  the  summit  of  the  hill  (provided 
the  distance  does  not  exceed  one  thousand  feet), 
shall  constitute  the  end  boundaries  of  the  claim! 

14.  All  other  placer  claims  shall  be  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  square. 

15.  Every  placer  claim  shall  be  as  nearly  as 
possible  rectangular  in  form,  and  marked   by 
two  legal  posts  firmly  fixed  in  the  ground  in 
the  manner  shown  in  diagram  No.  4.     The  line 
between  the  two  posts  shall  be  well  cut  out  so 
that  one  post  may,  if  the  nature  of  the  surface 
will  permit,  be  seen  from  the  other.     The  flat- 
ted side  of  each  post  shall  face  the  claim,  and 
on  each  post  shall  be  written,  on  the  side  facing 
the  claim,  a  legible  notice  stating  the  name  or 
number  of  the  claim,  or  both  if  possible,  its 
length  in  feet,  the  date  when  staked,  and  the 
full  Christian  and  surname  of  the  locator. 


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234 


APPENDIX 


ill  ^ ' 


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ii 


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i    V 


Q:    * 


IG.  Every  alternate  ten  claims  shall  be 
reserved  for  the  Government  of  Canada.  That 
is  to  say,  when  a  claim  is  located,  the  dis- 
coverer's claim  and  nine  additional  claims 
adjoining  each  other,  and  numbered  consecu- 
tively, will  be  open  for  registration.  Then 
the  next  ten  claims  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  each  will  be  reserved  for  the  Government, 
and  so  on.  The  alternate  group  of  claims  re- 
served for  the  Crown  shall  be  disposed  of  in 
such  manner  as  may  be  decided  by  the  Minister 
of  the  Interior. 

17.  The  penalty  for  trespassing  upon  a 
claim  reserved  for  the  Crown  shall  be  immedi- 
ate cancellation  by  the  Mining  Recorder  of  any 
entry  or  entries  which  the  person  trespassing 
may  have  obtained,  whether  by  original  entry 
or  purchase,  for  a  mining  cle  "m,  and  the  refusal 
by  the  Mining  Recorder  of  the  acceptance  of 
any  application  which  the  person  trespassing 
may  at  any  time  make  for  a  claim.  In  addition 
to  such  penalty,  the  Mounted  Police,  upon  a 
requisition  from  the  Mining  Recorder  to  that 


I  Ji 


MBi«IP 


wtmm 


MINING  REGULATIONS 


235 


effect,  shall  take  the  necessary  steps  to  eject 
the  trespasser. 

18.  In  defining  the  size  of  claims,  they  shall 
be  measured  horizontally,  irrespective  of  in- 
equalities on  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

19.  If  any  free  miner  or  party  of  free  miners 
discover  a  new  mine,  and  such  discovery  shall 
be  established  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Mining 
Recorder,  creek,  river  or  hill,  claims  of  the 
following  size  shall  be  allowed,  namely  :— 

To  one  discoverer,  one  claim,  five  hundred 
feet  in  length. 

To  a  party  of  two  discoverers,  two  claims, 
amounting  together  to  one  thousand  feet  in 
length. 

To  each  member  of  a  party  beyond  two  in 
number,  a  claim  of  the  ordinary  size  only. 

20,  A  new  stratum  of  auriferous  earth  or 
^— dvel  situated  in  a  locahty  where  the  claims 
have  been  abandoned  shall  for  this  purpose  be 
deemed  a  new  mine,  although  the  same  locality 
shall  have  been  previously  worked  at  a 
different  level. 


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APPENDIX 


21.  The  forms  of  application  for  a  grant  for 
placer  mining,  and  the  grant  of  the  same,  shall 
be  those  contained  in  Forms  *  H '  and  '  I '  in 
the  schedule  hereto. 

22.  A  claim  shall  be  recorded  with  the 
Mining  Recorder  in  whose  district  it  is  situated 
within  ten  days  after  the  location  thereof,  if  it 
is  located  within  ten  miles  of  the  Mining 
Recorder's  office.  One  extra  day  shall  be 
allowed  for  every  additional  ten  miles  or 
fraction  thereof. 

23.  In  the  event  of  the  claim  being  more 
than  one  hundred  miles  from  a  Recorder's  office, 
and  situated  where  other  claims  are  being 
located,  the  free  miners,  not  less  than  five  in 
number,  are  authorized  to  meet  and  appoint  one 
of  their  number  a  '  Free  Miners'  Recorder,'  who 
shall  act  in  that  capacity  until  a  Mining  Re- 
corder is  appointed  by  the  Gold  Commissioner, 

24.  The  *  Free  Miners*  Recorder '  shall,  at 
the  earliest  possible  date  after  his  appointment, 
notify  the  nearest  Government  Mining  Re- 
corder thereof,  and  upon  the  arrival   of  the 


I 


MINING  REGULATIONS  237 

Government  Mining  Recorder  he  shall  deliver 
to  him  his  records  and  the  fees  received  for 
recording  the  claims.    The  Government  Min- 
ing Recorder  shall  then  grant  to  each   free 
miner  whose  name  appears  in  the  records,  an 
entry  for  his  claim  on  form  '  I '  of  these  regula- 
tions, provided  an  appHcation  has  been  made 
by  him  in  accordance  with  form  '  H '  thereof. 
The  entry  to  date  from  the  time   the  'Free 
Miners'  Recorder '  recorded  the  application. 

25.  If  the  'Free  Miners'  Recorder'  fails 
within  three  months  to  notify  the  nearest 
Government  Mining  Recorder  of  his  appoint- 
ment, the  claims  which  he  may  have  recorded 
will  be  cancelled. 

26\  During  the  absence  of  the  Mining 
Recorder  from  his  office,  the  entry  for  a  claim 
may  be  granted  by  any  person  whom  he  may 
appoint  to  perform  his  duties  in  his  absence. 

27.  Entry  shall  not  be  granted  for  a  claim 
which  has  not  been  staked  by  the  applicant  in 
person  in  the  manner  specified  in  these  regula- 
tions.   An  affidavit  that  the  claim  was  staked 


1    » 


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288 


APPENDIX 


''Hi 


out  by  the  applicant  shall  be  embodied  in  form 
'  H '  in  the  schedule  hereto. 

28.  An  entry  fee  of  fifteen  dollars  shall  be 
charged  the  first  year,  and  an  annual  fee  of 
fifteen  dollars  for  each  of  the  following  years. 
This  provision  shall  apply  to  claims  for  which 
entries  have  already  been  granted. 

29.  A  statement  of  the  entries  granted  and 
fees  collected  shall  be  rendered  by  the  Mining 
Recorder  to  the  Gold  Commissioner  at  least 
every  three  months,  which  shall  be  accom- 
panied by  the  amount  collected. 

30.  A  royalty  of  ten  per  cent,  on  the  gold 
mined  shall  be  levied  and  collected  on  the 
gross  output  of  each  claim.  The  royalty  may 
be  paid  at  banking  offices  to  be  established 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Government  of 
Canada,  or  to  the  Gold  Commissioner,  or  to 
any  Mining  Recorder  authorized  by  him.  The 
sum  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  shall 
be  deducted  from  the  gross  annual  output  of  a 
claim  when  estimating  the  amount  upon  which 
royalty  is  to  be  calculated,  but  this  exe  mption 


3  accom- 


MINING  REGULATIONS  239 

shall  not  be  allowed  unless  the  royalty  is  paid 
at  a  banking  office  or  to  the  Gold  Commissioner 
or  Mining  Recorder.     When  the  royalty  is  paid 
monthly  or  at  longer  periods,  the  deduction 
shall  be  made    ratable  on    the   basis  of  two 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum  for 
the  claim.    If  not  paid    to    the   bank,   Gold 
Commissioner,  or  Mining  Recorder,  it  shall  be 
collected  by    the    customs  officials   or  police 
officers  when  the  miner  passes  the  posts  estab- 
lished at  the    boundary   of  a  district.     Such 
royalty    to    form    part    of   the    consolidated 
revenue,  and  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  officers 
who  collect  the  same  in  due  course.     The  time 
and  manner  in   which  such  royalty  shall  be 
collected  shall  be  provided  for  by  regulations 
to  be  made  by  the  Gold  Commissioner. 

31.  Default  in  payment  of  such  royalty,  if 
continued  for  ten  days  after  notice  has  been 
posted  on  the  claim  in  respect  of  which  it  is 
demanded,  or  in  the  vicinity  of  such  claim,  by 
the  Gold  Commissioner  or  his  agent,  shall  be 
followed  by  cancellation  of  the   claim.    Any 


m 


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I 


■i* 


240 


APPENDIX 


f. 


ii  ^ 


Li  !: 


attempt  to  defraud  the  Crown  by  withholding 
any  part  of  the  revenue  thus  provided  for,  by 
making  false  statements  of  the  amount  taken 
out,  shall  bo  punished  by  cancellation  of  the 
claim  in  respect  of  which  fraud  or  false  state- 
ments have  been  committed  or  made.  In  respect 
to  the  facts  as  to  such  fraud  or  false  statements 
or  non-payment  of  royalty,  the  decision  of 
the  Gold  Commissioner  shall  be  final. 

32.  After  the  recording  of  a  claim  the  re- 
moval of  any  post  by  the  holder  thereof,  or  by 
any  person  acting  in  his  behalf  for  the  purpose 
of  changing  the  boundaries  of  his  claim,  shall 
act  as  a  forfeiture  of  the  claim. 

33.  The  entry  of  every  holder  of  a  grant 
for  placer  mining  must  be  renewed  and  his 
receipt  relinquished  and  replaced  everj"-  year, 
the  entry  fee  being  paid  each  time. 

34.  The  holder  of  a  creek,  gulch,  or  river 
claim  may,  within  sixty  days  after  staking  out 
the  claim,  obtain  an  entry  for  a  hill  claim  ad- 
joining it,  by  paying  to  the  Mining  Recorder 
the  sum   of  one  hundred  dollars.     This  per- 


;hbolding 
i  for,  by 
mt  taken 
5n  of  the 
se  state- 
n  respect 
atemeuts 
cision  of 

a  the  re- 

)f,  or  by 

purpose 

im,  shall 

a  grant 
and  his 
ry  year, 

or  river 
ing  out 
aim  ad- 
'ecorder 
lis  per- 


MfMNG  REGULATIONS  241 

mission  shall  also  be  given  to  the  holder  of  a 
creek,  gulch,  or  river  claim  obtained  under 
former  regulations,  provided  that  the  hill  claim 
is  available  at  the  time  an  application  is  made 
therefor. 

35.     No  miner  shall  receive  a  grant  of  more 
than  one  mining  claim  in  a  mining  district,  the 
boundaries  of  which  shall  be  defined  by  the 
Mining  Recorder,  but  the  same  miner  may  also 
hold  a  hill  claim,  acquired  by  him  under  these 
regulations  in  connection  with  a  creek,  gulch, 
or  river  claim,  and  any  number  of  claims  by 
purchase  ;  and  any  number  of  miners  may  unite 
to  work  their  claims  in  common,  upon  such 
terms  as    they  may    arrange,    provided  such 
agreement    is    registered    with    the     Mining 
Recorder  and  a  fee  of  five  dollars  paid  for  each 
registration. 

36.  Any  free  miner  or  miners  may  sell, 
mortgage,  or  dispose  of  his  or  their  claims, 
provided  such  disposal  be  registered  with, 
and  a  fee  of  two  dollars  paid  to  the  Mining 
Recorder,    who    shall    thereupon    give    the 


I  i 

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34« 


APPENDIX 


II 


i\\\' 


assignee  a  certificate  in  the  form  *  J '  in  the 
schedule  hereto. 

87.  Every  free  miner  shall,  during  the  con- 
tinuance of  his  grant,  have  the  exclusive 
right  of  entry  upon  his  own  claim  for  the 
miner-like  working  thereof,  and  the  con- 
strucb'on  of  a  residence  thereon,  and  shall 
be  entitled  exclusively  to  all  the  proceeds 
realized  therefrom,  upon  which,  however,  the 
royalty  prescribed  by  these  regulations  shall 
be  payable  ;  provided  that  the  Mining  Recorder 
may  grant  to  the  holders  of  other  claims  such 
right  of  entry  thereon  as  may  be  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  working  of  their  claims, 
upon  such  teims  as  may  to  him  seem  reason- 
able. He  may  also  gi*ant  permits  to  miners 
to  cut  timber  thereon  for  their  own  use. 

39.  Every  free  miner  shall  be  entitled  to 
the  use  of  so  much  of  the  water  naturally 
flowing  through  or  past  his  claim,  and  not 
already  lawfully  appropriated,  as  shall,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  Mining  Recorder,  be  necessary 
for  the   due   working   thereof,  and   shall    be 


in 


tbe 


the  con- 
jxclusive 
I  for  the 
the    con- 
md  shall 
proceeds 
irever,  the 
ions  shall 
;  Recorder 
aims  such 
ibsohitely 
ir    claims, 
m  reason- 
to  miners 
ise. 
mtitled  to 

naturally 
and  not 
lall,  in  the 

necessary 
shall    be 


MINING  REGULATIONS 


il 


entitled    to    drain    his     own    claim    free    of 
charge. 

39.  A  claim  shall  bo  deemed  to  be  aban- 
doned and  open  to  occupation  and  entry  by 
any  person  when  the  same  shall  have  remained 
unworked  on  working  days,  excepting  during 
the  close  season,  by  the  grantee  thereof,  or 
by  some  person  on  his  behalf,  for  the  space  of 
seventy-two  *  hours,  unless  sickness  or  other 
reasonable  cause  be  shown  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  Mining  Recorder,  or  unless  the  grantee 
is  absent  on  leave  given  by  the  Mining 
Recorder;  and  the  Mining  Recorder,  upon 
obtaining  evidence  satisfactory  to  himself, 
that  this  provision  is  not  being  complied 
with,  may  cancel  the  entry  given  for  a 
claim. 

40.  If  any  cases  arise  for  which  no  pro- 
vision is  made  in  these  regulations,  the  pro- 
visions of  the  regulations  governing  the 
disposal   of   mineral    lands    other    than    coal 

*  Seyenty>two  hours  ineaus  three  consecutive  days  of 
twenty-four  houi-a  each. 

K  2 


II 


I'll. 


n- 


'i^' 


I 


V, 


i  1 


244 


APPENDIX 


'^'   h 


lands,  approved  by  His  Excellency  the 
Governor  in  Council  on  the  9th  of  November, 
1889,  or  such  other  regulations  as  may  be 
substituted  therefor,  shall  apply. 


.'( 'i 


\mn 


tffi 


sncy     the 

fovember, 

may  be 


34ft 


FORM  H.-APPLICATION  FOR  GRANT 

FOR  PLACER  MINING, 

AND  AFFIDAVIT  OF  APPLICANT. 

^(^^^^) of hereby 

apply,  under  the  Yukon  Placer  Mining  Regu- 
lations, for  a  grant  of  a  claim  for  placer 
mining  as  defined  in  the  said  regulations,  ir. 
(here  describe  locality)  and  I  (or  we)  solemnly 
swear : — 

1.  That  from  indications  I  (or  we)  have 
observed  on  the  claim  applied  for,  I  (or  we) 
have  reason  to  believe  that  there  is  therein  a 
deposit  of  gold. 

2.  That  I  (or  we)  am  (or  are)  to  the  best 
of  my  (or  our)  knowledge  and  belief  the  first 
to  observe  such  indications,  or  :— 


.ir  ' 


li> 


^^i; 


if.« 


11 


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It 


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246 


APPENDIX 


3.  That  the  said  claim  was  previously 
granted  to  (here  name  the  last  grantee),  but 
has  remained  unworked  by  the  said  grantee 
for  not  less  than 

4.  That  I  (or  we)  am  (or  are)  unaware 
that  the  land  is  other  than  vacant  Dominion 
Lands. 

5.  That  I  (or  we)  did  on  the 

day  of mark  out  on  the  ground, 

in  accordance  in  every  particular  with  the 
provisions  of  the  mining  regulations  for  the 
Yukon  District,  the  claim  for  which  I  (or  we) 
make  this  application,  and  in  so  doing  1  (or 
we)  did  not  encroach  on  any  other  claim  or 
mining  location  previously  laid  out  by  any 
other  person. 

6.  That  the  length  of  the  said  claim,  as 
nearly  as  I  (or  we)  could  measure,  is  ...  .  foet, 
and  that  the  description  of  this  date  hereto 
attached,  signed  by  me  (or  us)  sets  (or  set) 
forth  in  detail,  to  the  be*"!  of  my  (or  our) 
knowledge  and  ability,  its  position. 

7.  That  I  (or  we)  make  this  application  in 


MINING  REGULATIONS 


247 


good  faith,  to  acquire  the  claim  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  mining  to  be  prosecuted  oy  myself 
(or  us)  or  by  myself  and  associates,  or  by  my 
(or  our)  assigns. 

Sworn    before  me^ 

at I 

this day  j      (Signature) 

of 18...  J 


FORM  I.—GRANT  FOR  PLACER  MINING. 


No. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Agency 18 


In  consideration  of  the  payment  of  the  fee 
of  fifteen  dollars  prescribed  by  clause  28  of 
the  mining  regulations  for  the  Yukon  District, 

by (A.  B.) of 

accompanying  his  (or  their)  application  No.  . . . 

dated 18  .  .  .  ,  for  a  mining  claim  in 

(here    insert  description  of 

locality). 

The  Minister  of  Interior  hereby  grants  to 


1^ 

■if"! 


N       U 


^f 


I:-  I 


i'^ 


248 


APPENDIX 


the  said (A.  B.) for  the  term 

of  one  year  from  the  date  hereof,  the  exclusive 

right  of  entry  upon  the  claim (here 

describe  in  detail  the  claim  granted)  for  the 
miner-like  working  thereof,  and  the  construc- 
tion of  a  residence  thereon,  and  the  exclusive 
right  to  all  the  proceeds  realized  therefrom, 
upon  which,  however,  the  royalty  prescribed 
by  the  regulations  shall  be  paid. 

The  said (A.  B.) shall  be 

entitled  to  the  use  of  so  much  of  the  water 
naturally  flowing  through  or  past  his  (or 
their)  claim,  and  not  already  lawfully  appro- 
priated, as  shall  be  necessary  for  the  due 
working  thereof,  and  to  drain  his  (or  their) 
claim,  free  of  charge. 

This  grant  does  not  convey  to  the  said  .... 

(A..  B.) any  right  of  ownership  in  the 

soil  covered  by  the  said  claim,  and  the  said 
grant  shall  lapse  and  be  forfeited  unless  the 
claim  is  continuously  and  in  good  faith  worked 

by  the  said (A.  B.) or  his  (or 

their)  associates. 


MINING  REGULATIONS  ^ 

Tne  rights  hereby  granted  are  those  laid 
down  in  the  aforesaid  mining  regulations,  and 
no  more,  and  are  subject  to  all  the  provisions 
of  the  said  regulations,  whether  the  same  are 
expressed  herein  or  not. 


Mining  Recorder. 


FORM  J.—CERTIFICATE  OF  THE 

ASSIGNMENT  OF  A  PLACER 

MINING  CLAIM. 

No 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Agency ig 

This  is  to  certify  that (B.  C.) 

^^ ^as  (or  have)  filed  an  assignment  in 

dueform dated 18...,  and  accompanied 

by  a  registration  fee  of  two   dollars,  of  the 

^^^**° (A.  B.) of of 

the  right  to  mine  in (here  insert  de- 
scription of  claim) for  one  year  from  the 


k 


m 


^f 


O: 


250 


APPENDIX 


\     \ 


This  certificate  entitles  the  said  ....  (B.  C.) 

to  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the 

said (A.  B.) in  respect   to  the 

claim  assigned,  that  is  to  say,  to  the  exclusive 
right  of  entry  upon  the  said  claim  for  the 
miner-like  working  thereof,  and  the  con- 
struction of  a  residence  thereon,  and  the 
exclusive  right  to  all  the  proceeds  realized 
therefrom  (upon  which,  however,  the  royalty 
prescribed  by  the  regulations  shall  be  paid) 
for  tlie  remaining  portion  of  the  year  for 
which   the    said  claim  was    granted    to    the 

said (A.  B.) that  is  to  say,  until 

the day  of 18  ...  . 

The  said (B.  C.) shall  be  en- 
titled to  the  use  of  so  much  of  t!ie  water 
naturally  flowing  through  or  past  his  (or  their) 
claim,  and  not  already  lawfully  appropriated, 
as  shall  be  necessary  for  the  due  working 
thereof,  and  to  drain  his  claim,  free  of 
charge. 

This  grant  does  not  convey  to  the  said  .... 
(^B.  C.) any  right  of  ownership  in  the 


MINING  REGULATIONS 


wm 


soil  covered  by  the  said  claim,  and  the  said 
grant  shall  lapse  and  be  forfeited  unless  the 
claim  is  continuously  and  in  good  faith  worked 

by  the  said (B.  C.) or  his  (or 

their)  associates. 

TLe  rights  hereby  granted  are  those  laid 
down  in  the  Yukon  Placer  Mining  Regulations, 
and  no  more,  and  are  subject  to  all  the  pro- 
visions of  the  said  regulations,  whether  the 
same  are  expressed  herein  or  not. 


Mining  Recorder. 


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REGULATIONS 

GOVERNING  THE  ISSUE  OF  LEASES  TO  DREDGE  FOR 

MINERALS  IN  THE  BEDS  OF  RIVERS  IN  THE 

PROVISIONAL  DISTRICT  OF  YUKON, 

NORTH-WEST  TERRITORIES. 

(Approvidofby  Order  in  Council  No.  125,  of  the  ISthJan.,  1898.) 

The  following  regulations  are  adopted  for 
the  issue  of  leases  to  persons  or  companies 
who  have  obtained  a  free  miner's  certificate  in 
accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  regula- 
tions governing  placer  mining  in  the  Provisional 
District  of  Yukon,  to  dredge  for  minerals  other 
than  coal  in  the  submerged  beds  or '  bars  of 
rivers  in  the  Provisional  District  of  Yukon,  in 
the  North-west  Territories : 

1.    The  lessee  shall  be  given  the  exclusive 


DREDGING  FOR  MINERALS 


25S 


right  to  subaqueous  mining  and  dredging  for 
all  minerals  with  the  exception  of  coal  in  and 
along  an  unbroken  extent  of  five  miles  of  a 
river  following  its  sinuosities,  to  be  measured 
down  the  middle  thereof,  and  to  be  described 
by  the  lessee  in  such  manner  as  to  be  easily 
traced  on  the  ground ;  and  although  the  lessee 
may  also  obtain  as  many  as  five  other  leases, 
each  for  an  unbroken  extent  of  five  miles  of 
a  river,  so  measured  and  described,  no  more 
than  six  such  leases  will  be  issued  in  favour 
of   an   individual   or    company,   so    that    the 
maximum    extent    of    river     in     and    along 
which  any  individual  or    company  shall    be 
given  the   exclusive   right   above  mentioned, 
shall   under   no   circumstances   exceed    thirty 
miles.     The  lease  shall  provide  for  the  survey 
of  the  leasehold  under  instructions  from  the 
Surveyor  General,  and  for  the  filing  of  the  re- 
turns  of   survey  in  the   Department   of  the 
Interior  within  one  year  from  the  date  of  the 
lease. 

2.    The  lease  shall  be  for  a  term  of  twenty 


fi 


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254 


APPENDIX 


&  i 


years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  all  rights 
vested  in,  or  which  may  he  claimed  by  the 
lessee  under  his  lease,  are  to  cease  and  deter- 
mine. The  lease  may  be  renewable,  however, 
from  time  to  time  thereafter  in  the  discretion 
of  the  ]\Iinister  of  the  Interior. 

3.  The  lessee's  right  of  mining;  and  dredg- 
ing shall  be  confined  to  the  submerged  beds 
or  bars  in  the  river  below  water-mark,  that 
boundary  to  be  fixed  by  its  position  on  the 
first  day  of  August  in  the  year  of  the  date  of 
the  lease. 

4.  The  lease  shall  be  subject  to  the  rights 
of  all  persons  who  have  received  or  who  may 
receive  entries  for  claims  under  the  Placer 
Mining  Regulations. 

5.  The  lessee  shall  have  at  least  one  dredge 
in  operation  upon  the  five  miles  of  river  leased 
to  him,  within  two  seasons  from  the  date  of  his 
lease,  and  if,  during  one  season  when  opera- 
tions can  be  carried  on,  he  fails  to  efficiently 
work  the  same  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Minister 
of  the  Interior,  the  lease  shall  become  null  and 


DREDGING  FOR  MINERALS  S|$ 

void  unless  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  shall 
otherwise  decide.  Provided  that  when  any 
company  or  individual  has  obtained  more  than 
one  lease,  one  dredge  for  each  fifteen  miles  or 
portion  thereof  shall  be  held  to  be  compliance 
with  this  regulation. 

6.  The  lessee  shall  pay  a  rental  of  one  hun- 
dred dollars  per  annum  for  each  mile  of  river 
so  leased  to  him.  The  lessee  shall  also  pay  to 
the  Crown  a  royalty  of  ten  per  centum  on  the 
output  in  excess  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  ay 
shown  by  sworn  returns  to  be  furnished  monthly 
by  the  lessee  to  the  Gold  Commissioner,  during 
the  period  that  dredging  operations  are  being 
carried  on ;  such  royalty,  if  any,  to  be  paid 
with  each  return. 

7.  The  lessee  who  is  the  holder  of  more 
than  one  lease  shall  be  entitled  to  the  exemp- 
tion as  to  royalty  provided  for  by  the  next 
preceding  regulation  to  the  extent  of  fifteen 
thousand  dollars  for  each  five  miles  of  river 
for  which  he  is  the  holder  of  a  lease ;  but  the 
lessee  under  one  lease  shall  not  be  entitled  to 


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26U 


APl'LNDIX 


the  exemption  as  to  tho  royalty  provided  by 
the  next  two  procoding  regulations,  where  the 
dredge  or  dredges  used  by  him  have  been 
used  in  dredging  by  another  lessee,  or  in  any 
case  in  respect  of  more  than  thirty  miles. 

8.  The  lessee  shall  be  permitted  to  cut  free 
of  all  dues,  on  any  land  belonging  to  the 
Crown,  such  timber  as  may  be  necessary  for 
the  purposes  of  his  lease,  but  such  permission 
shall  not  extend  to  timber  which  may  have 
been  heretofore  or  may  hereafter  be  granted  to 
other  persons  or  corporations. 

9.  The  lessee  shall  not  interfere  in  any  way 
with  the  general  right  of  the  public  to  use  the 
river  in  which  he  may  be  permitted  to  dredge, 
for  navigation  or  other  purposes ;  the  free 
navigation  of  the  river  shall  not  be  impeded 
by  the  deposit  of  tailings  in  such  manner  as  to 
form  bars  or  banks  in  the  ciiannel  thereof,  and 
the  current  or  stream  shall  not  be  obstructed 
in  any  material  degree  by  the  accumulation  of 
such  deposits. 

10.  The  lease  shall  provide  that  any  person 


"yREDOlNG  FOR  MINERALS  J57 

who  has  received  or  may  receive  entry  under 
the  Placer  Mining  Regulations  shall  be  ontitled 
to   nm   tailings  into  the   river  at  any   point 
thereon,  and  to  construct  all  works  which  may 
be  necessary  for  properly  operating  and  work- 
ing iiis  claim.     Provided  that  it  shall  not  be 
lawful  for  such  person  to  construct  a  wing-dam 
within  one  thousand  feet  from  the  place  where 
any  dredge  is  being  operated,  nor  to  obstruct 
or  interfere  in  any  way  with  the  operation  of 
any  dredge. 

11.     The  lease  shall  reserve  all  roads,  ways, 
bridges,  drains,  and  other  public  works,  and  all 
improvements  now    existing,    or   which   may 
hereafter  be  made,  in,  upon,  or  under  any  part 
of  the  river,  and  the  power  to  enter  and  con- 
struct the  same,  and  shall  provide   that  the 
lessee  shall  not  damage  or  obstruct  any  public 
ways,  drains,  bridges,  works  and  improvements 
now  or  hereafter  to   be  made  upon,  in,  over, 
through,  or  under  the  river ;    and  that  he  will 
substantially  bridge  or  cover  and  protect  all 
the  cuts,  flumes,  ditches,  and  sluices,  and  all 

8 


f 


n 


ii' 


258 


APPENDIX 


pits  and  dangerous  places  at  all  points  where 
they  may  be  crossed  by  a  public  highway  or 
frequented  path  or  trail,  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  Minister  of  the  Interior. 

12.  That  the  lessee,  his  executors,  adminis- 
trators, or  assigns  shall  not  nor  will  assign, 
transfer,  or  sublet  the  demised  premises,  or 
any  part  thereof,  without  the  consent  in  writ- 
ing of  the  Minister  first  had  and  obtained. 


i 
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1. 

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^■■1 


259 


TIMBER  REGULATIONS 

For  the  benefit  of  those  English  Corpor- 
ations who  purpose  operailaor  in  Timber, 
these  are  the  latest  Government  regu- 
lations : 

REGULATIONS  under  which  Licenses  to 
OUT  Timber  on  Dominion  Lands  in  the 
Provisional  District  of  Yukon,  North- 
West  ^ilRRITORIES,  MAY  BE  GRANTED. 

1.  A  license  to  cut  timber  may  be  issued  to 
any  person  who  is  the  first  applicant  therefor, 
or  it  may  be  acquired  at  competition,  as  the 
Minister  of  the  Interior  may  direct, 

2.  A  bonus  of  not  less  than  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  shall  be  paid  for  each  square 
mile  to  be  licensed. 


9' 


ll  1 
11 


1 


f  ■.■ 


260 


APPENDIX 


3.  The  area  of  a  berth  shall  not  exceed  five 
square  miles,  and  a  berth  shall  not  be  less  than 
one  mile  in  breadth. 

4.  Not  more  than  five  berths  of  five  square 
miles  in  the  Provisional  Distiic^  of  Yukon  shall 
be  granted  to  any  one  person  or  company. 

5.  A  license  to  cut  timber  on  a  berth  shall 
be  issued  yearly. 

6.  The  licensee  shall  erect  a  saw-mill  with- 
in a  certain  period  to  be  fii.ed  by  the  Minister 
of  the  Interior. 

7.  The  licensee  shall  pay  a  stumpage  of 
two  dollars  per  thousand  feet  B.  M.  for  the 
timber  cut. 

8.  The  license^  shall  file  in  the  Department 
of  the  Interior  the  returns  of  the  survey  of  his 
berth  when  called  upon  by  the  Minister  of  the 
Interior  to  do  so. 

THE   END. 


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LIFE  OF  MARIE  ANTOINETTE. 

BY  CHARLES  DUKE  YONGE. 

ADELE.  I  NATHALIE. 

BY  JULIA  KAVANAGH.     |    BY  JULIA  KAVANAQH. 

THE  CRESCENT  AND  THE  CROSS. 

BY  ELIOT  WARBURTON. 

ST.  OLAVE'S. 

BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF  '  JANITA'S  CROSS.* 


ON  THE  SCENT. 

BY  LADY  M.  MAJENDIE. 


THE  OLD  COURT  SUBURB. 

BY  LEIGH  HUNT. 

GRANDMOTHER'S  MONEY. 

BY  P.  W.  ROBINSON. 

ADAM  GRAEME  OF  MOSSGRAY. 

BY  MRS.  OLIPHANT. 


BARBARA'S  HISTORY. 

BY  AMELIA  B.  EDWARDS. 


THE  LAIRD  OF  NORLAW. 

BY  MRS.  OLIPHANT. 

IT  WAS  A  LOVER  AND  HIS  LASS. 

BY  MRS.  OLIPHANT. 


AGNES. 

BY  MRS.  OLIPH.VNT. 


NO  CHURCH. 

BY  F.  W.  ROBINSON. 


LORD  BRACKENBURY. 

BY  AMELIA  B.  EDWARDS,  LL.D. 


A  ROSE  IN  JUNE. 

BY  MRS.  OLIPHANT. 


PHCEBE,  JUNIOR. 

BY  MRS.  OLIPHANT. 


THROUGH  THE  LONG  NIGHT. 

BY  MRS.  E.  LYNN  LINTON. 

LIFE  OF  THE  REV.  EDWARD  IRVING. 

BY  MRS.  OLIPHANT. 

MARGARET  AND  HER  BRIDESMAIDS. 

BY  THE  A.UTHOR  OF  *  THE  VALLEY  OF  A  HUNDRED  FIRES.' 

THE  VALLEY  OF  A  HUNDRED  FIRES. 

BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF  *  MARGARET  AND  HER  BRIDESMAIDS.' 


'-,' 


LONDON  :    HURST  AND  BLACKETT,  LIMITED. 


LETT'S 

'oth. 

rE. 

[ALIE. 

^AVANAOH. 

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S  SCENT. 

[.  MAJENDIE. 


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r  NORLAW. 

tPHANT. 

ss. 
rRCH. 

)BINSON. 


UNIOR. 

PHANT. 


[NG. 

[DS. 

ED  FIRES.' 

iES. 

ESMAIDS.' 

'ED. 


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BEATRICE    WHITBY'S    NOVELS. 

EACH  IN  ONE  VOLUME  CROWN  Svo-Sa.  6d. 


If 't 


THE  AWAKENING  OF  IMARY  FENWICK. 

"We  have  no  liesitation  in  declaring  that  -  The  Awakening  of  Mary  Fenwick '  li  the 
beat  novel  of  Its  klud  that  we  have  seen  for  lome  yeara.  It  la  apparently  a  flrat  effort, 
and,  as  inch,  it  really  remarkable.  The  atory  is  extremely  simple.  Mary  Maaier  marriei 
ber  haaband  for  external,  and  perhapa  rather  Inadequate,  reaaona,  and  then  diacoTera 
that  he  married  her  because  ahewaa  an  hoiresa.  She  feela  the  indignity  aontely,  and 
doea  not  acmple  to  tell  him  her  opinion— her  very  candid  opinion— of  hia  tehaTlonr.  That 
la  the  effect  of  the  flrat  few  ohaptera,  and  the  reat  of  Miia  Whitby's  book  ia  devoted  to 
relating  how  thla  di  ;ided  conple  hated,  qaarrelled,  and  finally  fell  in  love  with  one  another. 
Mary  Fenwick  and  hbr  husband  live  and  move  and  make  na  believe  in  them  in  a  way 
which  few  but  the  great  m&stera  of  fiction  have  been  able  to  compasa."— il(AM(i«m. 

ONE  REASON  WHY. 

"The  govemesB  makoa  a  re-entry  into  fiction  under  the  aaspicea  of  Beatrice  Whitby  in 
'One  Heason  Why.'  Readnra  generally,  however,  will  take  a  great  deal  more  intereat,  for 
once,  in  the  children  than  in  their  instructrea&  ■  Bay '  and  '  £llle '  are  charmingly  natural 
additions  to  the  children  of  novel-land ;  ao  much  ao,  that  there  is  a  period  when  one  dreadt 
a  death-bed  scene  for  one  of  them— a  fear  which  is  happily  unfulflUed.- CropAie. 

PART  OF  THE  PROPERTY. 

'The  book  is  a  thoroughly  good  one.  The  theme  is  fairly  familiar— the  rebellion  of  a 
spirited  girl  against  a  match  which  has  been  arranged  for  her  without  ber  knowledge  or 
consent;  her  resentment  at  being  treated,  not  as  a  woman  with  a  heart  and  will,  but  as 
'part  of  the  property ;'  aod  her  tlnal  discovery,  which  la  led  np  to  with  real  dramatic  skill. 
that  the  thing  against  which  her  whole  nature  bad  risen  in  revolt  has  become  the  one 
dealre  of  her  heart  The  author's  greatest  triumph  ia  the  portrait  of  Mrs  Lindaay.  who, 
with  the  knowledge  of  the  terrible  skeleton  In  the  cupbonrd  of  her  apparently  happy 
home,  wears  so  bravely  the  mask  of  light  gait>ty  as  to  deceive  everybod;,'  but  the  one  man 
who  knows  her  seorot"— <S/xcta<or. 

IN  THE  SUNTIME  OF  HER  YOUTH. 

'A  description  of  a  home  stripped  by  the  cold  wind  of  poverty  of  all  its  comforts,  but 
which  remains  home  still.  The  careiesa  optimism  of  the  head  of  the  family  would  be  in- 
credible,  if  we  did  not  know  how  men  exist  full  of  responsibilities  yet  free  from  solici- 
tudes, and  who  tread  with  a  jaunty  stnp  the  very  ver^e  of  ruin ;  his  inconsolable  widow 
would  be  equally  improbable,  if  we  did  not  meet  every  day  with  women  who  devote  them- 
selves to  such  idols  or  clay.  There  is  intereat  in  it  from  llrst  to  last,  and  its  pathos  is  re- 
lieved by  touches  of  true  humour."— /«Mtra(«cf  London  Seitt. 

MARY  FENWICK'S  DAUGHTER. 

"This  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  novels  we  have  read  for  a  long  time.  'Bab'  Fen- 
wick ia  an  '  out  of  doors  '  kind  of  girl,  full  of  spirit,  wit,  go,  and  uba,  both  original  and 
aoquired.  Her  lover.  Jack,  ia  all  that  a  hero  should  be,  and  great  and  magnanimous  as 
he  is,  finds  some  difUculty  in  forgiving  the  insoueianU  mistresB  all  her  little  sins  of  omis- 
sion and  commission.  When  she  finally  shoots  him  in  the  leg— by  accident— the  real 
tragedy  of  the  story  beghis.    The  whole  is  admirable."— £/<K4;an(i  White. 

A  MATTER  OF  SKILL. 

"  Lovely  woman  appears  in  these  pages  in  a  variety  of  moods,  hamorons  and  pathetic, 
and  occasionally  she  seems  not  a  little  '  uncertain,  coy,  and  hard  to  please.*  The  title 
story,  showing  how  a  stately  girl  is  captured,  after  a  good  deal  of  trouble,  by  a  short  and 
commonplace  young  man,  ia  very  amnsing;  and  there  are  other  sketches  in  which  it  is 
interesting  to  follow  the  wiles  of  Mother  Eve  ere  she  has  come  to  years  of  dlioretion."'— 
Aeademif. 

LONDON  :     HUEST  ANU  BLAOEETT,  LIMITED. 


;l;:    •! 


NOVELS. 

ro— 38.  6d. 

FENWICK. 

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YOUTH. 

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imorons  and  pathetic. 
» to  please.'  Yhe  title 
■oubIe,by»  short  and 
Eetohet  In  which  it  is 
^ears  of  dlicratlon."— 


IITED. 


